


Voyager Takes Flight

by The_fake_ReliusClover



Category: Captain Marvel (2019), Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics), Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, And as Carol's half-sister, Based on The Life of Captain Marvel, But will end badly if you saw the movie, Childhood Sweethearts, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Easter Eggs, Espionage, F/F, Family Drama, Gen, Internalized Homophobia, Marvel Cameos, Origin Story, Prequel to Captain Marvel (2019), Quantum Realm, The Kree are homophobic, Voyager as a Kree, Worldbuilding, troubled childhood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-01-11 20:52:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 58,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18431885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_fake_ReliusClover/pseuds/The_fake_ReliusClover
Summary: Marie Danvers is the mother of the woman who will grow up to be the Mighty Captain Marvel. But before she became Marie Danvers, she was Mari-Ell, a Kree war veteran and mother to a promising young cadet named Vanee-Gast. This is the story of how the Danvers family came to Earth... and all the heartache that led them there. These are the origins of the Marvel Universe's next great champion- the Voyager!





	1. The Life of Vanee-Gast

**Hala**

**Earth Year: 1960**

_"Vanee-Gast to the simulation room. Vanee-Gast to the simulation room. Report within the next ten minutes,"_  a voice over the intercom said in the girls' locker room.

The girl, Vanee-Gast, sighed in resignation as she finished assembling the last of her training gear.

Like most residents of Hala, Vanee was a Kree, specifically of the blue-skinned ethnic majority. She was a teenaged girl around the age of fifteen Earth years. Her skin was a light shade of azure with a long, flowing head of white hair and light blue eyes to match her skin. One could almost mistake her for an innocent child if it wasn't for the yellow and red cadet uniform she is wearing with the Kree star on her chest to signify her true affiliation to the ancient alien empire. The fact that she also had a child-sized blaster pistol holstered on her belt as well as a similar sized sword sheathed behind her back makes it perfectly clear that this child would probably become a cold-blooded killer in the future.

Such was the reality for all Kree growing up in the empire. As a fascist warrior race, every child of the empire was expected to go through training in the various training facilities all over the homeworld and beyond. While there were other vital occupations in the Kree Empire, every single Kree was expected to learn how to fight in case the empire needed to draft them into service _._ However, Kree youths were encouraged to become professional soldiers and many aspire to rise to the elite of the Kree military, specifically Starforce or the Accuser Corps, to bring honor to their families and houses.

Vanee-Gast was no exception. She also had additional motivation to strive for an elite position at Starforce.

The girl had her mother's example to live up to after all.

Vanee then placed her yellow cadet helmet over her head and fastened its leather straps in place. With her combat gear assembled, she took a deep breath and slapped both hands into her cheeks to psych herself up.

She exhaled. "Here goes nothing."

The Kree girl then closed her locker before running out of the room.

* * *

Vanee then found herself in an empty white room and in front of six humanoid androids- three with blaster rifles and the other three in front of them with melee weapons. The melee bots rushed in first with their weapons raised as their ranged counterparts covered them with phaser fire (painful but admittedly nonlethal projectiles).

However, Vanee-Gast stood undaunted as years of combat training kicked in. Like a rehearsed ballerina, Vanee effortlessly dodged and swayed away from the incoming phaser bolts as she unsheathed her sword and made an uninterrupted run towards the charging melee bots. The nearest bot to her was a brute with a giant hammer, durable model with a dangerous weapon that could crush a little girl like Vanee in one hit.

Too bad the bot couldn't land that hit. As the machine swung its weapon in an overhead arc, Vanee used her lighter body to nimbly dodge the hammer in a side slide before using her opening to stab her sword into the android's chest, rendering it offline as the machine's lights died and toppling over once Vanee removed her blade.

Vanee then looked over to the corner of her eye to see another android, a leaner model with a shield and a mace, a more challenging foe with better defensive options. As it charged at her, Vanee ran to it at the same running speed. But instead of attacking head-on, Vanee-Gast hopped on its shield before using it as a launchpad to leap over it as the machine was busy swinging its weapon.

As Vanee-Gast was in the air, she spotted the last melee bot, a light model with four arms and four daggers, lagging behind its compatriots. When Vanee's head was directly above the dagger bot's, she quickly swung her sword down to decapitate it, rendering the android offline.

Before it could fall down, however, Vanee-Gast landed directly behind it before grabbing the machine and running with it towards the gunner bots, using the dagger bot's carcass as a shield against the phaser bolts. When she was close enough, Vanee-Gast threw the robot carcass at one of the gunner bots, knocking it down, before driving her sword into the head of the nearest gunner bot to render it offline.

However, this action left Vanee exposed for a moment, allowing the third gunner bot to graze the Kree cadet on the shoulder. Vanee winced in pain as the phaser bolt burnt some skin. Gritting her teeth in anger, Vanee responded with a shout as she quickly drew her pistol with her other hand to fire three laser bolts in quick succession, one to the chest and two to the head, as the android toppled down with its head split open in a charred mess. Vanee then quickly turned around to fire two laser bolts at the last gunner bot, one at the dead android laying on top of it and the other at the living bot's head, shutting it down as a relatively clean hole was smoking out of it.

Vanee turned to the last robot alive as it was charging at her again with its shield. The Kree cadet fired blindly at the android at her laser bolts bouncing safely off the shield. Vanee was still in a rage after the gunner bot hit her, but thankfully she calmed herself down enough to think. "Don't muck this up, Vanee! You won't make mother proud acting like this! Remember, emotions make you weak. Control them. Calm down..."

Vanee took a deep breath as the shield boot was only a couple of feet away from her. She aimed down the sight of her gun before squeezing the trigger, firing a laser bolt that slid past the robot's shield and hit its head square on, killing it instantly.

With all her enemies dead, Vanee put away her weapons and took another moment to make deep breaths in order to suppress her adrenaline fuelled rage. Once she has calmed down, Vanee-Gast ran forward and searched the shield bot, the 'leader' of the robot attack force, and took a white spherical device off its body. She then ran to the far side of the room to insert the sphere into faint indentation in the wall. The markings were so faint that it could have been easily missed with the white coat of the rest of the walls, but Vanee's eyes and observation skills have been finely honed over the years. To her, the markings were as plain as day.

Once the sphere went inside the indentation, the lines on the wall glowed bright blue before it parted to reveal a narrow walkway over a pit of boiling water and many swinging bags on the way meant to push any cadet into the pool of pain along with a sizeable gap before the end for extra challenge. They would be fished out before dying, of course, but not without failing the test. This obstacle course was enough to intimidate any would-be Starforce prospect, but not Vanee-Gast.

Her family  _lives_ for this kind of danger.

With a devilish smirk, Vanee ran forth the narrow walkway without fear. The cadet could be cautious, wait between the gaps before safely moving past the bags, but she wasted enough time already. Instead, Vanee-Gast ran full speed ahead, placing her faith on her speed and her timing, to avoid the swinging bags.

For a time, it worked. Through some stroke of luck, Vanee effortlessly avoided almost every bag in one uninterrupted rush. Key word being 'almost'.

The last bag managed to hit Vanee-Gast squarely at her side, but instead of sending her tumbling down to the water, Vanee made good use of her warrior reflexes and grabbed the bag's swinging chain to anchor herself before using the bag itself as a launchpad to leap over the final gap and land safely on the other side in a graceful roll.

"Damn, I'm good!", she exhaled proudly. Vanee then ran forward through the opening and entered the final stage of the test, a firing range. The objective of this final stretch is hit three targets with laser fire. Unfortunately, those targets happen to be floating several feet away from the firing table, are as small as tangerines, and are moving wildly all over their assigned space like an electron cloud.

Only hitting one of these balls was enough to pass the test, but Vanee didn't take this test to settle for mediocrity. She came here to prove that she was just like her mother and nothing like her father.

After inhaling deeply, Vanee-Gast pulled her pistol and fired off her first shot. Whether it was luck or pure skill, the laser bolt managed to hit one of the moving balls, searing a hole through it and dropping dead on the ground.

At that point, a male voice sounded through the intercom.  _"Vanee-Gast, you have passed your test. You may stop now, or continue for more points."_

Vanee only had three more shots left in her blaster. In hindsight, it was a bad idea to expend that much ammo on the androids, but at least she has enough ammo to theoretically hit the last two balls. It was a small chance, but a chance none the less.

"I will continue!"

_"Very well."_

With that, Vanee raised her pistol, aimed down the sights, held her breath, and squeezed the trigger like she had so many times before.

Only to narrowly miss one of the balls by a vital centimeter.

"Damn it!", Vanee cursed. Her odds of scoring the remaining points have just plummeted even more now.

But Vanee-Gast wasn't deterred. She simply aimed down her sight again, tracking the pesky balls with one eye open, before firing another shot. This time, it hit the second ball.

"Yeah!", she grunted proudly.

_"Do you still wish to continue?"_

"Is that even a question?"

The voice behind the intercom groaned in irritation at Vanee's insolence, but decided to do nothing for now.

One shot left, but the final ball remains as quick and elusive as before. It can go either way now, but Vanee loved those odds all the same.

She aimed down her sight one last time before squeezing the trigger. The final shot...

Was a definite miss.

With all the charges used up, Vanee's weapon died down in a dreadful mechanical hiss.

"No! No! NO!", Vanee said panicking before she desperately squeezed the trigger in the vain hope that there was at least one more charge inside only for her optimism to die in the face of reality.

With the test over, the lights of the room died out before a red line shined to the far side of the wall to signal the exit.

_"Well done, Vanee-Gast, you have passed your entrance test. Welcome to the Starforce program."_

The words were meant to be a congratulations to the young Vanee-Gast for succeeding in this test where most others have failed. But to Vanee, this was a hollow victory. This was nothing next to mother's accomplishments... and this wouldn't be enough to wipe the shame her father brought to her family.

The ball stood suspended in midair for a moment before moving back towards its chamber almost mocking the cadet for her failure. Grinding her teeth hard in rage, Vanee, in a moment of passion, threw her gun at the insolent ball with a shout before storming off the obstacle course.

Incidentally, the thrown pistol managed to hit the ball and damaged it so hard that it short-circuited it and made it drop dead before it could reach the resting chamber.

* * *

Vanee-Gast left the simulation room frustrated and disappointed in herself as she practically ripped her helmet out of her head. She passed by other Kree cadets who have also finished their tests. Vanee paid them no mind until she saw the two whom she considered her friends waiting for her in the corner of the hallway.

Both cadets had blue skin and were around the same age as Vanee-Gast. One was a boy with shaved black hair, and the other was a girl with black hair as long as Vanee-Gast's. Their names were Att-Lass and Minn-Erva respectively.

Att-Lass smiled at Vanee-Gast's approach and said, "Here comes the girl of the hour. You bring good news, yes?"

Minn-Erva noticed the frustration in her friend's expression and asked, "What's wrong? Did you not pass your test, Va?"

Vanee sighed. "I did, but... not as much as I'd like."

"What do you mean?", Minn-Erva asked.

"I didn't get the last ball..."

"Is that it?", Att-Lass said before putting on a smile and lightly tapping Vanee in the shoulder, "Don't be too hard on yourself. That last bit was almost impossible. I was lucky I hit one of those things before I ran out of ammo."

"I got all three," Minn-Erva said proudly until she noticed Vanee wincing at her remark. She restated, "But then again, it did take me a while to take down those bots in the beginning. CQC is not exactly my area of expertise."

Att-Lass responded, "That part was easy. What almost got me was that damn obstacle run! Swinging bags over a pit of boiling water? What's that supposed to prove?"

"Speed, flexibility, courage," Minn-Erva teased.

"The ability to be calm under pressure," Vanee said smiling.

"I'm calm under pressure!", Att-Lass objected.

"Says the guy who's afraid of spiders," Minn-Erva said.

"I don't see how..."

"Didn't you try to take one out with your training pistol while you were in the showers?", Vanee pointed out.

Att-Lass blushed. "That was just that one time..."

"This month," Minn-Erva retorted. The two girls then laughed at their friend's expense. When they were done, Minn-Erva patted Att-Lass in the back and turned to Vanee-Gast. "So how did the test go down for you?"

"I took a hit from those bots, but I cut through them in about five minutes. And I made the run in about one minute, but I did get hit by one of the bags near the end. But then I used it to make it to the other side."

"Inventive," Att-Lass nodded approvingly, "You definitely are Starforce material."

"I guess...", Vanee said.

"I mean it. We are an elite squad in the making. We have a well-rounded scout," he said pointing at Vanee, "A master markswoman," he pointed at Minn-Erva who responded with a nod and a smug smirk. Att-Lass then tapped his chest and posed with his hands on his hips, "And, of course, we have a powerful squad leader at the helm."

Minn-Erva giggled. "More like a clumsy brute."

"Besides, I think out of all of us, Minny's more likely to achieve a command first," Vanee said as she smiled at her friend.

Minn-Erva blushed. Att-Lass rolled his eyes and said, "How about we go look at our scores then? They should be posted by now."

"Good idea. I want another reason to tease you again," Minn-Erva joked.

Att-Lass shook his head. "Please remind me why I am friends with you?"

"We laugh at your jokes, remember?", Vanee said before she and Minn-Erva began pulled out their issued communicators.

Att-Lass looked down and shrugged. "That is what friends do."

He then pulled out his own communicator and checked his message box to find a link to test's leaderboard of their 50 student class along with their 0-1000 score among other details.

Minn-Erva was the first to comment. "Well, look at that. 15th place, and a score of 705... I'll take it."

Att-Lass lit up like a Christmas tree and announced, "I made to the top ten! Well... 10th place and a score of 873."

"What the hell?!", Minn-Erva shouted indignantly before checking the leaderboard again, "I am seriously doubting the validity of this test..."

"You shouldn't say such treasonous things in front your future captain, Private Minn-Erva," Att-Lass teased.

"Well, I suppose even you deserve a win every once in a while," Minn-Erva grumbled before saying under her breath, "But I wish it's not at my expense..."

Att-Lass continued, "Tell you what. How about I give you one of the Galadorian sweetcakes I've been stashing and call it even. No more teasing. At least for a week?"

"Sure, whatever..."

Ever cheerful, Att-Lass looked at Vanee-Gast and asked, "So what did you make?"

Vanee didn't respond. She simply kept staring at her communicator with sad look on her face.

"Vanee?", Minn-Erva said as she moved closer to her friend and reached out to her shoulder.

Att-Lass looked at his own communicator and checked Vanee-Gast's score. His eyes widened in disbelief. "This is... 31st place and a score of 577?"

"What?!", Minn-Erva said as she checked her own communicator, "But you cleared the course faster than even me or Att, and even nailed two of the fly balls! How does this even begin to make sense?!"

"It does if you lot remember your place in the pecking order," an unknown male voice taunted.

The three turned to see a cadet with white skin and blonde hair.

Minn-Erva practically snarled at his presence and said, "What is it now, Gla-Ree?"

The boy smirked arrogantly. "Just stating the facts. As the top student in class, it's becoming of me to remind you all of how lucky you are to make it into the program given your... deficiencies."

Vanee scowled. "Of course 'Captain Glory' made first place..."

Gla-Ree shrugged. "What can I say? It's all in the genetics, and my family ensured mine were cultivated well."

"Now that you made your point," Minn-Erva chimed in, "Would you kindly piss off?"

"Language," Gla-Ree said chuckling, "A filthy half-breed like yourself should learn to keep that mouth shut. We wouldn't want you to get in trouble, yes?"

This got to Minn-Erva. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She took a few steps toward the ever-so-pompous noble boy before Att-Lass stopped her. "Hey. He's not worth the trouble."

Minn-Erva took a deep breath and started to calm down. However, Gla-Ree couldn't leave well enough alone. "Common sense. Impressive Att-Lass, but if you were any smarter, you should've stayed on your farm like a good peasant."

Att-Lass glared at Gla-Ree, resisting the urge to beat his smug face in.

Vanee took a deep breath and said, "Don't you have anything better to do, Gla-Ree? I'm sure Sergeant Yon-Rogg hasn't had his boots licked yet. Or has your rich family already paid him off?"

"You wanna look at family history, huh?", Gla-Ree said amused by Vanee's insult, "Let's look at yours. Your father was a coward. A deserter. I'm surprised you didn't inherit his cowardice and quit when the pressure was on, not that I think you'll make it through the program anyway. Your bloodline is weak, and nothing you can do will ever change that."

Vanee stayed quiet as Gla-Ree ranted. Her fists were shaking, and her eyes were glaring daggers at him for every word he said. However, she did not react. Gla-Ree isn't saying anything that Vanee hadn't heard before... or told herself. She wasn't about to get herself in trouble over this smug bastard. He was not...

"And your mother... the supposed war hero. If she was so great, why did she leave the military? It's probably because she never had the mettle for war and..."

Gla-Ree was then interrupted by a right hook to the face. The punch staggered him back, giving Vanee an opening to tackle him into the floor, pinning him there.

Vanee knelt on top of Gla-Ree with pure rage in her eyes. "SHUT UP!"

She then began to bloody Gla-Ree's face blue with her fists. After the fourth or fifth punch, Gla-Ree palm striked the rage blind Vanee-Gast on sternum, making her staggered back as she coughed and held her chest in pain. Gla-Ree then got up and rushed the girl, headbutting her face before landing his own right hook on her cheek before Vanee answered back by making the boy to bend over wheezing by punching him in the gut.

The fight lasted for about five more minutes before guards broke the two cadets up. They would be sent to their drill sergeant's office to be reprimanded.

* * *

An hour later, Vanee, now visibly covered in bruises, was in her drill sergeant's office, where she sat despondently in front of a white-skinned and brunette Kree man in his twenties. Despite his young age, the drill sergeant, Yon-Rogg, had eyes that managed to fill his charge with shame as he looked down on her from behind his desk.

He spoke, "I am very disappointed in you, Cadet Gast."

"But sir...", Vanee tried to meekly object.

"Do not interrupt me. I am appalled your behavior as of late. You seem to have forgotten the key tenant of the Kree military. Emotions are to be controlled. Such passions are to be held in check, yet you lash out like a toddler at the slightest provocation."

"But Gla-Ree started it..."

"It's not just about what happened with Cadet Gla-Ree, Vanee-Gast. Although, hitting a son of a prominent noble house doesn't help matters. No, the real problem has always been there. During your test, you expressed disturbing bouts of unchecked emotion. You even mouthed off to a superior officer. You're lucky that all you recieved was point deductions. And if we go past today, your record is stained with past infractions. Public rowdiness, inappropriate behavior during training, starting fights, fraternization... how you managed to avoid expulsion is beyond me."

"I'll... I'll do better."

"You better, because I don't think you can take another infraction after the stunt you just pulled today," Yon-Rogg sighed as he laid back into his chair, "You and Gla-Ree will both be leaving with only a warning today, but consider it your last. Any further misbehavior out of you, and I will expel you from the program. Are we clear?"

Vanee clenched the hem on her pants as she suppressed the feelings she kept inside- her anger and self-loathing. She didn't like coming here and being talked down to, but she preferred not to waste the chance that was given to her.

"I... understand, sir. It won't happen again."

"Very good," Yon-Rogg then drew his eyes away from Vanee-Gast as he pulled out his personal computer, "You may report to your new quarters, Cadet Gast. As punishment for your misconduct, you may not leave it for the entire week outside your scheduled training."

Vanee took a deep and shaky breath. "Y-Yes sir..."

The young cadet then got up and stepped out the office. She focused her mind on getting to her new quarters through the instructions set on her communicator rather than lament on her troubles.

* * *

Hours later, Vanee-Gast found her way to her new quarters. She took off her uniform and put on her casual wear, a pair of trousers and simple white shirt, and she placed her small bag's worth of belongings in the corner as she spent most of the day collapsed on her bunk before grumpily consuming her daily rations of a bland nutrition bar and a water bottle. With nothing better to do, she occupied herself by thinking about all the ways she would kill Gla-Ree if it wasn't for the rules.

Vanee had killed him in an honorable duel to the cheers of her peers and teachers.

She and her friends had managed to catch Gla-Ree unawares in the bathroom before shiving him unceremoniously and dumped his body in a vat of acid.

And then there was the time Vanee did something particularly unsightly to Gla-Ree involving a rusty knife, bags of Skrull blood, and her imaginary flerken pet named Chewie.

And things just get even darker as Vanee stewed in her bed.

Fortunately, the young cadet's dark fantasies were interrupted when she recieved a call from her mother, Mari-Ell. Once Vanee saw the caller ID, she rushed back to her bed, laying on her stomach as she opened the call, which projected a scale hologram of her likeness.

Unlike Vanee, Mari-Ell was a white skinned Kree with long, blonde hair, and she wore an adult sized uniform colored white and red. Vanee's mother was a beautiful woman with a warm smile present whenever she was with her beloved daughter. At least, that's always the first image Vanee thinks of her in her mind. While she knew Mari was an accomplished warrior in the past, Vanee could barely imagine her mother in her glory days, as much as she wants to.

Mari initiated the conversation, saying,  _"Congratulations on passing your test, Va. You deserved it."_

"Thanks mother," Vanee said smiling. For a moment, her mother's approval made Vanee forget the adversity she had to face today. Almost.

Vanee's face fell. Mari noticed her daughter's sadness and sighed. She nodded knowingly.  _"I heard about what happened today. I'm sorry."_

"No, the fault is all mine," Vanee admitted bitterly at herself, "I never should have given in to my passions in the first place. I'm sorry for disappointing you."

Mari let out a small laugh.  _"You could never disappoint me, Vanee, and I know you're trying your best to fit into the program. Honestly, I don't think there's anything I could say that you don't already know yourself. Just stay the course. I know you can do it."_

"I'm not sure I deserve that... but thank you none the less mother," Vanee said as she forced a smile. Wanting to avoid the subject, Vanee said, "So how's work. Was your day as exciting as mine?"

Mari laughed again.  _"I'm afraid not so much. Believe it or not, it's hard to get excited over watching gene samples grow and writing reports all day long, but it's a service and I'm happy enough for that."_

"If you say so...", Vanee droned as she became deep in thought.

Twenty years ago when the Klyntar invaded the Kree frontier worlds, Mari-Ell, who was a scientist by trade, was drafted into the army and assigned to one of the most dangerous fronts in the war. No one expected a low-level scientist to even survive the post she was assigned to, but when Virmire was beset by Klyntar symbiotes and her commanding officer was killed in battle, Mari rose to the occassion and led the defense against the alien monsters. Despite the odds, Mari-Ell managed to hold back the Klyntar scourge long enough for reinforcements to arrive and helped them drive the enemy out of the sector.

For her bravery and skill, Mari-Ell was given a command and participated in many vital missions in the Klyntar War. Her battles and victories would become famous throughout the empire, and her personal killing of the Klyntar queen leading the invasion cemented her status as an honored war hero. After the war, Mari-Ell was given some of the most highest honors in the Kree Empire and was offered a permanent command in the Kree Armada. But much to the shock of everyone, Mari declined the offer and returned to her previous life as a scientist, where she better honed her skills and became a more respected member of the Kree scientific community.

As the years passed, Mari's legend all but faded into memory save for in her hometown, where her daughter and her close-knit group of friends would grow up enchanted by the stories of her mother's past accomplishments, inspiring them to follow in her footsteps. While Vanee thought the world of her mother, there was something in her story that never really set in well with her.

_"What is on your mind, Va?"_

Vanee was silent for a moment. "Why did you leave the military?"

Mari coughed uncomfortably.  _"I... what?"_

"You were a legend back in the day. You were offered an opportunity that most other Kree could only dream of, but you turned it all away. You never really told me why."

It was Mari's turn to be silent as she was deep in thought. When she finally found the words, the old warrior said,  _"A life of war... it was never really for me. I know we've been taught at an early age that war is glorious, but... nothing stable could be built out of violence. That's why I stuck to science. My work here has helped more people than I ever did with a sword."_

"Do you... ever regret not living to your full potential?", Vanee asked uneasily.

Mari simply responded, _"No, because it led me to having you, my little Voyager."_

Vanee blushed a noticeable shade of blue. She tried to hide her face in her pillow out of embarrassment, but it was too little, too late. Her mother saw her daughter's flustered face and found it adorable.

Mari laughed as Vanee deflated her breath into her pillow like a very goofy looking balloon.

_"Curfew is coming soon. We better end this before you get into more trouble._ "

"Of course. Good luck with your... gene thing."

_"Call me soon,"_  Mari said before the call ended and her form dissipating.

Vanee smiled to herself. She was blessed to have a mother like Mari, she thought. Most other Kree parents treated their children like things to be groomed and disciplined when needed in the service of Kree ideals and traditions. Mari was different. While she can be strict, Mari always made sure to care about and tend to her daughter's feelings even if they're stupid and need to be repressed. Most would call that a weakness, but Vanee admitted that she would've fallen apart a long time ago without her mother's support.

It was then that Vanee's bunkmate entered their room. Vanee-Gast was pleasantly surprised to see that her roommate for the next four years was none other than Minn-Erva herself.

"Hey stranger," Minn said as the door closed behind her.

"Hello," Vanee said as she forgotten all her troubles at the sight of her childhood friend.

Minn-Erva then pulled out a paper bag and placed her main bag next to Vanee's as she laid down next to her on the bottom bunk. She handed Vanee-Gast the paper bag and told her, "Sorry you got to miss the day off at the base. Att-Lass is sorry too, so here's some of his contraband cakes to make you feel better."

Vanee eagerly pulled out the first fluffy, pink cake and sighed happily. "Damn, I love that goofball."

"Should I be jealous now, Va?", Minn-Erva teased.

"Of course not," Vanee hummed before placing a light kiss on her friend's lips.

Minn-Erva sighed wistfully as she watched Vanee gorge on the sinfully sweet cake. "We've been doing this for over a year now. You'd think waiting would get easier for me."

Vanee finished off her first cake and said, "I wish we didn't have to hide."

Minn-Erva reached for her girlfriend's hand and said, "Me too, but whatever keeps us together is worth it. It's unfair, but that's just how it is."

"No fraternization," Vanee quoted bitterly from the rulebook.

"Especially the 'deviant' kind."

Vanee sighed. "At least Captain Glory is sharing my misery."

Minn-Erva winced and tried to keep her mouth shut.

However, Vanee figured her out and sighed. "He wasn't punished, wasn't he?"

"Sorry Va."

"So apparently picking fights and breaking rules is only okay if you're parents are rich and your targets are nobodies. Good to know."

"It's all crap, Va. But what can you do? At least we'll finally get some respect after we graduate."

"Hope so," Vanee said as she looked away in pondering to herself.

Minn-Erva noticed the doubt in her love's eyes. She carressed her cheek and asked, "Do you think otherwise?"

"I mean... I'm the daughter of a deserter. You are half Sakaaran. Even if we become part of the Starforce, do you really think people will ever see us as anything more than rejects? Losers?"

"I'm not saying it'll be perfect, but we shouldn't let a bunch of narrow-minded idiots stop us from making our legend."

"I suppose you're right..."

Minn-Erva smirked smugly. "Of course, I'm right. I'm the brains of this relationship."

"Well, I'm the better kisser," Vanee said attempting to sound suave.

Minn-Erva chuckled. "No argument here."

The two moved in for another kiss. This one lasted for a bit longer this time and was more heated and a touch more passionate. When the two girls finally separated, they were breathing heavily and smiling.

Vanee said, "I wish we could hold each other at night like we used to."

"Me too, but I don't think the infraction is worth it."

"What a shame," Vanee said before giving Minn-Erva a small peck in the cheek, "Sweet dreams, my love."

"I always do when you're around," Minn-Erva responded as she stepped out of Vanee's bed before climbing up to the top bunk.

As the two settled into their beds, the room's lights go out, signaling the start of the curfew. The two girls then closed their eyes and drifted to sleep as soon as possible for tomorrow will be the first day of rigorous training for the next four years.

* * *

In an advanced scientific facility at the outskirts of Hala's capital city, Mari-Ell busied herself by taking the Kree equivalent of a lab rat (a rather sickly looking specimen dying in a box) and placing it inside a spherical device on her desk. Once she closed the lid and activated the device, it started to glow a bright violet and made loud bang at its climax. Once the machine's lights and its whirling died down, Mari carefully opened the lid, pulled out the box, and analyzed the mouse inside it with a scanner. To her amusement, the mouse, previously skinny and gaunt, was now perfectly healthy and energetic with the only real side-effect being its eyes glowing a luminescent violet.

Satisfied with herself, Mari-Ell took out a recording device and said, "Trial 38 was a success. The modified quantum ray/nano serum treatment was able to cure the specimen of all traces of Mac-Greger's disease. Like the other trials, Subject 38's cells also seem to be supercharged with quantum energy if the eyes are anything to go by. We have to keep the affected mice on the monitor for possible side effects and..."

"Doctor Mari-Ell..."

"Intelligence almighty!", Mari screamed as she practically jumped out of her spot and dropped her recorder. When she turned around, Mari-Ell saw her lab assistant, a twenty something white skinned Kree with short brown hair. The former war hero frowned at her. "Damn it, Mar-Vell. Don't sneak up on me like that! If I had a scalpel on my hands, you'd be dead right now, and that wouldn't end so well for either of us."

Mar-Vell ignored that comment and told her boss, "We just recieved a new supervisor from command. As the lead scientist of Project Voyager, he requested your presence."

"We have a new supervisor already?"

"Yes, he'll be replacing that Skrull spy, whose throat you cut with a scalpel."

"Except I did that on purpose that time obviously," Mari lied, "I suppose being free to experiment at my leisure without some bureaucrat watching over my every move was always going to be a temporary arrangement. Well, it was fun while it lasted. Let him in."

"Yes, ma'am," Mar-Vell said before leaving.

"You'd think command would trust me to do my damn job by now," Mari complained under her breath.

After a few minutes of waiting, the new supervisor walked into the room. He was a blue skinned Kree wearing a bulky suit of dark green plate armor and carrying a heavy warhammer in one hand. He had an armored cowl on that covered his entire head except for his face, which looked like it was in a perpetual state of grim seriousness despite his young age. From that look alone, Mari-Ell can tell this man was from the empire's dreaded Accuser Corps. She could tell at that instant that this man didn't have the best intentions for her pet project.

"Am I correct to assume that you're Mari-Ell? Head scientist for Project Voyager?", he asked rather bluntly.

Mari cleared her throat and explained, "I... yes. Yes, I am. What may I do for you... um..."

"I am called Ronan."

"Ronan. Pleased to meet you, Accuser Ronan," Mari said as she extended her hand. However, all she got back from Ronan was a cold glare. She lowered her hand and continued, "I assume you are here to check on our progress. Come with me, and I'll show you around."

Ronan followed Mari-Ell to another chamber in her lab, where she first pointed him to cages of cured mice on a bench. "As a reminder, the purpose of Project Voyager is to jumpstart the stagnant Kree genome through extradimensional means. Due to centuries of insularly selective breeding and genetic tampering from external sources, whole sorts of genetic defects and diseases have plagued our collective gene pool. If not dealt with now, the Supreme Intelligence predicts that our race will become an evolutionary dead-end by the end of the century."

"I am aware of those facts," he then noticed the odd colors in the mouse's eyes, "What happened to them?"

"They are my test subjects. You see, I injected these mice with regenerative nanites that affect the mice's genes at the cellular level. Once I subjected them with quantum energies, the nanites in the mice's system becomes supercharged and are able to repair all of the genetic ailments I induced in them so far."

"Intriguing," Ronan said with a look that is actually hard to gauge.

"Of course the treatment needs to be modified to account for Kree physiology, but I believe we are in the right track here."

"Yes... very charitable work," Ronan said as he started to walk around the room, "Any serious side effects?"

"None so far, but the treatment does seem to slightly boost the mice's physical performance to above average levels."

"That so?", Ronan said as he stopped and glared at Mari-Ell, "Can those benefits be used for military application perhaps?"

Mari coughed uncomfortably, "Well, I, uh, sure our warriors would appreciate the cure for Cotati's foot."

"Deflecting are we, Mari-Ell? I thought you better than that. Perhaps I was being too subtle. I'm here because I recieved word that a previous version of this sad, little treatment produced rather... marvelous results."

"I... don't what you're talking about."

"We know about Subject 18, Doctor. I order you to take me to it," Ronan said as he moved nearer to Mari-Ell and gripping his Universal Weapon threateningly.

Mari scowled at her supervisor's thuggish behavior. She contemplated beating the young brute with the power mace she kept under the desk next to her, but she decided that it would be better not to not lose her job for now. Mari sighed as she reluctantly led Ronan to a sealed chamber on the lab next door. After inputting the password and the retinal scan, Mari opened the door and led Ronan to an energy containment field, the kind used to detain dangerous criminals, that held Subject 18.

What he saw was enough for the usually stoic Ronan to gasp in amazement.

The mouse crawling all over the floor was fully immersed in a luminescent violet aura unlike its other brethren. It's fur grew longer and silkier than normal with a rich purple shade as its eyes glowed pure white with power. All around it, any object that wasn't bolted down were phasing in and out of existence to appear in a different location in the cell. This series of teleporting objects seem to go in and out with the mouse at its epicenter as if they were subject to its will... or indifference.

"Incredible... all this through replicable means?"

"Subject 18 is dangerous, Accuser Ronan. I lost three coworkers trying to contain it."

"Impressive..."

"Accuser Ronan!", Mari scolded.

Ronan paid her no mind as he continued, "The Supreme Intelligence has been searching for a living weapon like this for quite some time now. With the increasing genetic advantages of our enemies, the empire could use a soldier with these abilities. This is quite the breakthrough, Mari-Ell."

"If only it were that simple," Mari explained trying to sound as urgent as possible, "Subject 18 is not stable. It is manipulating quantum energies at the subatomic level, entangling other particles through will alone. Even if we can transplant these abilities to a Kree, we run the risk of destabilizing reality itself if we're not careful!"

"Isn't that what we have you and your team here for? To work out the... quirks."

"I don't think you fully understand the consequences of tampering with the quantum makeup of the universe!"

"I don't think it's any more dangerous than keeping a major discovery a secret from High Command," Ronan stated in a threatening tone. Mari winced as the Accuser continued, "We would like you put your gene therapy on hold for now. I want these powers ready to be transferred to a Kree test subject by the end of the month. Do I make myself clear?"

Mari gritted her teeth. "Yes sir..."

"Good. I shall be making my report to Command. As a matter of professional courtesy, I will not be so derogatory on your secrecy. Be grateful."

"Appreciated sir...", Mari hummed as Ronan stepped out of her lab. Once he was out of earshot, Mari-Ell let out a frustrated roar and slammed her fist against Subject 18's containment field. "Damn it!"

Project Voyager was supposed to be a purely humanitarian experiment, Mari thought. But now her warmongering superiors plan to warp the good she was doing to make weapons out of their own citizens for their neverending wars. They didn't even consider the consequences of manipulating this kind of power.

How did it come to this?

"I wish I never discovered the Quantum Realm...", Mari said as she looked into Subject 18's eyes. For moment she could've sworn she had seen a flash of a head's silhouette in the white of the mouse's eyes. One with unusually bright azure eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After reading The Life of Captain Marvel, I became enamored with the inner workings of the Danvers family. In particular, I love the twist where we find out that Carol's mother, Marie, was a Kree defector the entire time. I loved the character moments that followed from that reveal, and I was very disappointed to see that the writers chose to kill off Marie so early when there was a lot more to see from her and her relationship with her daughter. From those thoughts, came this fic.
> 
> I wanted to adapt elements of The Life of Captain Marvel into the MCU, and I wanna explore the Danvers family's Kree side a bit more by introducing a potential wrench in their dynamic, i.e. a full blooded Kree daughter that Mari-Ell had in a previous marriage. For that function, I chose to adapt a relatively new hero from the comics named Voyager. Va Nee Gast isn't a Kree in the comics, but she has blue skin and has her fair share of family issues (which I will probably explore in the future). She also has a cool powerset that I think would contrast quite well with her half-sister, so she was just perfect in my mind for this.
> 
> While I look forward to writing the Danvers family in the present day, we have to set up the circumstances needed to get there. Mari-Ell needs to become disillusioned with the Kree Empire and leave for Earth, and Vanee has to gain her powers and... well, I'll keep that to myself for now.
> 
> Needless to say, I will keep the MCU timeline mostly intact, and there will be a reason why no one has heard of Voyager until the present day. I'm not spoiling it here, but I will involve the Grandmaster later in the story as a way to honor some of Voyager's own history. And considering Voyager's powers are based from quantum entanglement, it would also be fitting to cameo that part of the Marvel Universe for this story.
> 
> That's about it for now. Thank you for the read, leave some constructive criticism if you can, and have a nice day!


	2. End of the Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Vanee-Gast continues her training in Starforce Academy, Project Voyager is nearing completion. As the day of the Kree trials grows closer, multiple parties begin to make their own moves to promote their secretive agendas. Unfortunately for Vanee, these schemes may decide her fate for good or ill...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a little retcon from last chapter. Mar-Vell is now in her twenties in 1960 rather than just 18. It will make sense why when we get to a certain part of the story.

**Maine**

**Earth Year: 1971**

It was a beautiful summer night in the small town of Bar Harbor. In a particular house overlooking the bay, a small family gathering was under way. There was laughter, merriment, and all of the joys and comfort among family members who haven't seen each other for quite some time. It was quite the party, but it was toned down enough to be enjoyable for the children as well.

However, one member of this extended family wasn't feeling the mood. She was currently sitting on the edge of the pier with a bottle of cheap beer in her hands.

This woman, Marie Danvers (formerly known as Mari-Ell), was wearing a yellow blouse and jeans. Despite the passage of years, Marie hasn't seemed to have aged a day thanks to her Kree genes. In fact, she wouldn't have to worry about gaining her first wrinkle for the next decade or so, not that it was a comfort for her at this moment.

Marie's eyes were reddened as visible tear marks were present in her face. She has been keeping this pain in her heart all day for her new family's sake. Marie didn't want to burden them with her past regrets. But now that she was on her own, all the sorrow that the Kree woman has been keeping all day were free to burst forth like a broken dam.

Marie sniffled as a rush of memories returned, tormenting the poor woman with regrets and thoughts of what could of been. With her bottle empty, Marie had no choice but to put it down and bury her face into her hands as she cried.

Marie sobbed, "Vanee... I'm so sorry... I never should've..."

"Mommy?", the voice of a little girl called out from behind her.

Marie broke from her sobbing as she sniffled and turned to see her other daughter. She was around around the age of eight, and she was currently wearing a tomboyish set of overalls and tied her blonde hair in an adorable pair of pigtails.

Marie could see the worry in the eyes of her youngest child. Brown like her father's. The man who had comforted her greatly after leaving Hala. They were the only good things to come out of... everything that had happened.

The older woman forced a smile and said, "C-Carol? What are you... what are you doing out here?"

"I couldn't find you in the house. I... I was worried," the little girl said reluctantly.

"Oh sweetie, come here," Marie said as she opened her arms. Carol rushed over to her mother as the latter wrapped her precious daughter in a warm and loving embrace. Although it was difficult for her at first, Marie grew to love her new daughter as much as she did her first. In fact, she considered raising this wild bundle of energy to be what finally allowed her to come to terms with what happened to Vanee. For most of the year anyway. Feeling a little tipsy, Marie began to spill her guts to Carol. "You... you know I'd never leave you, right? You know I love you, and... I would never let anything happen to you and..."

"I know," Carol responded softly, "What's wrong, mommy? Why are you crying?"

No one in her new family, except her husband Joseph, knew about her past life as a Kree. They didn't need to know. It was a part of her life that she chose to abandon and forget. She didn't like talking about it, but hearing Carol's pleas made her feel an overwhelming need to say the things that she kept inside her heart for years now.

Whether it was the alcohol or her miserable state of mind, Marie explained to Carol, "I had another daughter once... a long time ago. Before I met your father."

Carol's eyes opened wide at shock at this news. She pulled away from her mother and looked her in the eyes. "What? I... I have a sister?"

Marie winced at that word and nodded. "Yeah... her name was Vanee, and it's her birthday today."

Carol's face lit up with joy. She had always wanted a sister. "That's great!", her smile then dropped as she asked, "Then why don't we ever see her in the family reunions or... ever? And shouldn't she be here for..."

Carol's question was an innocent one, but it was one that filled Marie with sorrow. She started shaking her head sobbing, confusing Carol even more.

"I'm... I'm sorry mommy. I... didn't mean to make you cry."

Marie sniffled. "No... no. The fault is mine. I just... I miss her... so much. I wish she could've met you... all of you..."

"What happened to her?"

Marie paused for a moment before answering, "It was... it was all my fault..."

* * *

**Hala**

**Earth Year: 1960**

In the outdoor training grounds of the Starforce academy, the newest class of recruits, now in their new green and black uniforms, were busy busting their asses under the unforgiving sun. They were currently reaching the end of the first month of training and are in the middle of a firearms training exercise, where groups of students were sent out to assemble their firearms to fire at holograms down a firing range. Vanee-Gast was among the first group out.

She assembled her pistol faster than her peers as she began firing at the green Skrull holograms assigned to her. As her fellow cadets fired at their own colored targets (all of whom resembled species that oppose the empire), Vanee finished all of her targets first with well placed shots at the center of mass.

She smiled to herself. "Well, what do you know? Practice does make perfect!"

She disassembled her gun as instructed before running back to the mass of cadets waiting on her group.

Vanee ran by Minn-Erva, who told her, "Nice shooting."

Vanee-Gast tried her best not to blush. She tagged Minn in the shoulder. "I dare you to do better."

Before Minn-Erva could speak, however, Gla-Ree spoke, "Don't worry. I will."

He was tagged by another cadet and ran at the firing range. Gla-Ree managed to reach his post before Minn-Erva and quickly assembled his pistol. He managed to down all of his yellow colored Nova targets about as fast as Vanee only he managed to do so with headshots. Minn-Erva managed to finish off her green targets with headshots as well, but did so a few seconds slower than Gla-Ree.

"Try better next time, halfling!", he taunted before running back to the group.

Vanee couldn't hear what Gla-Ree said to Minn-Erva, but she knew that he was putting her girlfriend down. Vanee-Gast clenched her fists as Minn ran to Att-Lass and tagged him in. She patted the frustrated looking Minn-Erva in the shoulder to comfort her.

* * *

The next training exercise of the day was a jog around the perimeter of the training grounds. The recruits have been running for almost an hour now. Anyone who stops or even slows down are liable to get punished, so this was a test of endurance more than anything.

Vanee-Gast was ahead of the line along with a couple of other cadets, Att-Lass, and unfortunately, Gla-Ree. Vanee tried her best to ignore that walking, talking pile of garbage. Instead, she tried to make some small talk with a person she could actually stand to be around.

"So... having fun yet... Att?", Vanee said panting while doing so.

Att-Lass shook his head. Despite his rather muscular frame, he really was in no mood to talk and run. "Later... need to... concentrate! Can barely... breathe!"

"You're no fun..."

In all that time, Gla-Ree was relaxed as all hell with a proud stride in his step and a shit-eating grin on his face. If he was feeling fatigued, he was good at not showing it. He taunted them, saying, "I think you two should fall back. Let the real warriors take charge."

"Like hell I will, Captain Glory!", Vanee said spitefully as she maintained her pace.

Yon-Rogg and one other Kree were driving a hover-car alongside the recruits as they ran. The drill sergeant looked across the road and picked up a speaker device from the dashboard to call out, "Alright, you sorry louts! I think it's time I give one of you a break! Who ever reaches that flagpole there first and grabs the flag gets to rest on the back of this car for the rest of the exercise. Get to it!"

With that, every cadet began upping their pace in the hopes of ending this torment early. Despite everyone's best efforts, the race ultimately came down to Vanee-Gast and Gla-Ree as they raced neck-and-neck to reach the flagpole.

Gla-Ree actually exerted himself as he taunted, "There's no shame in bowing out to a superior, Gast!"

"Well... in that case, I accept your surrender!", Vanee snarked back as she pulled as much energy as she can into her legs. Her speed almost doubled as she quickly ran ahead of Gla-Ree, who was having trouble keeping up with her like this. She was actually getting close to the flagpole now, which filled Vanee with much needed.

"I can do this!", Vanee spoke to herself, "I can do this! I can win! I'm gonna rub this victory all over Gla-Ree's..."

Unfortunately, Vanee didn't see where she was stepping on. Her foot got entangled in a loose tree root. This stopped her momentum dead in her tracks as she was jerked away from her gait and fell down face first into the mud. This setback allowed Gla-Ree to run past his rival as he made a running leap for the hanging flag. Thanks to his well trained Kree muscles, Gla-Ree was able to jump several feet into air and grabbed the green and silver Kree flag off the pole and land safely into the ground with athletic grace.

He got back up and raised the flag in front of all his peers with a self-satisfied smile on his face. Yon-Rogg nodded as he stopped the car. "Alright, Cadet Ree, come in. The rest of you, move along."

The cadets groaned as they jogged back to the track once again. Vanee shook her head in disappointment as she lied in the mud for a second to lament on her inadequacies. However, that was interrupted when Yon-Rogg drove up next to her.

"No slacking off, Cadet Gast. Get back on track and give me a hundred pushups once we head back to the grounds."

Yon-Rogg drove away as Gla-Ree laughed at her expense. Vanee shouted as she forced herself back up and lagged behind her peers in embarrassment. Thankfully Minn was there to comfort her with a kind look.

* * *

A couple hours later, the class was indoors in a padded room as they practiced hand-to-hand combat. In one corner, Vanee was about finished handing Minn-Erva her own ass as she flipped her and pinned her friend to the floor with her elbow for five seconds.

Yon-Rogg was overseeing this match as he called out, "Cadet Gast wins again. Three wins in a row. Not bad."

Vanee smiled as she stood up and offered her girlfriend a hand. Minn-Erva was helped back up on her feet as she asked, "You know, if I had as much muscle mass as Att-Lass, you never would've stood a chance."

"Heh, strength is not as important as skill, Minny."

Gla-Ree then interjected, "Then it's a good thing I have both then," he turned to his drill sergeant and asked, "I would like the next match."

Yon-Rogg looked at his communicator to watch the clock. "I suppose we have more time for one more match. Go ahead."

Gla-Ree nodded respectfully before stepping forward. He greeted Vanee with a predatory smile as he taunted, "Don't let those wins go to your head, Vanee. You're facing a real Kree now."

Vanee retorted, "I can't wait to wipe that smirk off that face, you arrogant little shit!"

The two cadets then came into their fighting stances as they waited for Yon-Rogg's signal.

"Begin!"

Vanee-Gast made her first move by lunging in with a flying punch. However, Gla-Ree crossed his arms to block Vanee's fist before using her own momentum against her to throw her off, making Vanee trip back and land on her ass.

Gla-Ree let out a low laugh as he approached his opponent slowly. "Does the little girl want to give up now? Like daddy?"

Vanee snarled as she quickly flipped around and sweeped her leg across Gla-Ree's feet, forcing him to trip on his back. She then quickly seized the opportunity to pin Gla-Ree to the floor with her weight and began pounding his face bloody with fists. However, Gla-Ree managed to recover enough to catch one of Vanee's fists. Vanee-Gast tried to strike Gla-Ree with her other fist only for the boy to catch it with his other hand. Now that his opponent was effectively paralyzed, Gla-Ree pulled at Vanee's arms down to force her upper torso down as well. Vanee-Gast screamed in her shock as Gla-Ree headbutted her descending head, forcing her off his body as she writhed on the floor in pain.

Gla-Ree staggered up, a little worse for wear, as he walked over to his downed opponent. Vanee was on her knees, struggling to get back up, as Gla-Ree curled both of his hands into a ball before swinging it down to hit his opponent in the back. Fortunately for Vanee, it was a ruse.

Before Gla-Ree could strike, Vanee-Gast quickly shot up from the ground to palm strike Gla-Ree in the sternum, causing the boy to stumble back wheezing. Vanee finished off her combo by tackling Gla-Ree to the floor again, only this time, she restrained him with her elbow over his throat.

"Got you bastard!", Vanee shouted smugly.

Gla-Ree merely laughed at the third second. "Not quite."

Gla-Ree then pulled out a large metal needle from his pocket and threw it into the crowd, hitting Minn-Erva in the shoulder.

"Gah!", Minn-Erva groaned as Att-Lass moved quickly to catch her.

"Minny!", Vanee shouted as she removed her elbow from Gla-Ree's throat look at her wounded girlfriend. Unfortunately, Gla-Ree used that distraction to punch Vanee in the gut, causing her to wheeze in pain as she fell off him. As Vanee was lying in her back, Gla-Ree got up and placed his boot on her back, pinning her to the floor for five seconds as Vanee was immobilized by the pain.

"Still a second-rate warrior," Gla-Ree taunted.

Yon-Rogg approached the two and eyed Gla-Ree. "Well done, Cadet Ree. Making use of your opponent's emotional attachments to create an opening. Clever."

Gla-Ree smiled smugly as he walked off. As Vanee struggled to get back up, she told Yon-Rogg, "He pulled out a weapon for what's supposed to be an unarmed fight. He wounded a fellow cadet, and you just patted him on the back for it?"

"Don't take that tone with me," Yon-Rogg warned rather calmly, "A true fight will never be fair, and you need to learn how to prioritize your objective before anything else. Or anyone."

Vanee shook her head dismissively before walking over to her friends.

Att-Lass, still holding a wounded Minn-Erva, looked at all the bruises his other friend sustained and asked, "You okay?"

"Nevermind me. How's Minny?", Vanee said as she knelt down to her girlfriend's level. She made a worried look at the blue blood oozing from the needle embedded in her shoulder.

Despite the pain, Minn-Erva made a brave face and told Vanee, "It's not as bad as it looks. Just a flesh wound."

"Let's take care of it now, nonetheless," Att-Lass said before quickly removing the needle. To her credit, Minn-Erva barely let out a wince of pain. Vanee pulled out a roll of bandages from her pocket before wrapping it around Minn-Erva's shoulder and tying it tight to stop the bleeding.

"The, uh, exercise is over. I should escort you to the med-bay," Vanee said shakily.

"I can take care of my...", Minn-Erva started to say before noticing the worry in her girlfriend's eyes. She sighed. "Okay..."

Vanee helped Minn-Erva up on her feet as they walked out of the training room.

* * *

The rest of the day went about in a similar way. Every time Vanee excelled in training, Gla-Ree had to step in and overshadow her. He always managed to humiliate her in front of her peers, whether it's proving his superiority over her, highlighting Vanee's weaknesses, or simply exploiting the chip on her shoulder through taunting. This kind of thing happens every other day, so you'd think Vanee get wise to it by now.

But it still bothered her.

All the cadets were ordered back to their quarters after training was completed for the day and were given about an hour of free time before curfew begins. Minn-Erva spent her free time checking her wound on the mirror, while Vanee attempted to call her mother on her communicator.

Minn-Erva looked at the wound Gla-Ree gave her to see that it's mostly been healed now with a minor cut being the only evidence left of the injury. "Thank the Intelligence for our accelerated healing..."

Vanee grunted in frustration as her mother failed to answer her call. She wasn't available tonight, it seems. Vanee tossed her communicator on her bed and spoke out loud, "Damn it! That's third week in a row where she won't return my calls!"

"Don't feel too bad, Va," Minn-Erva said as she threw her used bandages to the trash bin, "That secret project of hers probably takes priority over family. For the good of all Kree and all that."

"For the good of all Kree...", Vanee repeated with scorn, "Someone should teach Gla-Ree that. For him, it's apparently 'for the good of me, myself, and I'!"

"Yeah, he's a bastard. No argument here," a devious smile crept up to Minn-Erva's face as she pulled out a knife from a nearby cabinet, "You know, we could always make him... disappear."

"Tempting, but it's not worth risking our future careers," Vanee joked. However, her smile disappeared as she looked away forlornly. "Besides, we... wouldn't want to rob the empire of a good soldier. One better than me, at least..."

Minn-Erva eyed Vanee and made her way next to her. She held her girlfriend's hand and said, "Don't say that garbage. You'll be ten times the soldier than Captain Glory could ever be."

"But he's faster than me, more skilled than me, stronger than me, and... can control his emotions better than me," Vanee said as she unloaded her feelings, "I don't wanna be just another soldier. I wanna be the best! Like mother was. I wanna... I wanna show people that I'm strong. Not like my father..."

"And you will," Minn said as she placed a kiss on Vanee's forehead, "We have four years ahead of us. Give it time. You might surprise yourself."

Vanee sighed as she looked away and took Minn-Erva's hands into her own. "I hope you're right."

"I'm always right, remember?", Minn-Erva teased before she moved in to capture Vanee's lips with her own.

The two kissed passionately, unloading the day's troubles into the love the two had for one another, as Minn-Erva guided Vanee into laying in bed on her back. The two made out for a few more seconds, their hands wandering over their bodies, before pulling away from each other and breathing heavily.

"I wish we could do more than just kiss," Minn-Erva mumbled longingly.

Vanee widened her eyes in shock. Was Minn suggesting they'd...

"Um... you wanna... here? Now? I mean... I'm open to it, but... I don't think we'd have enough time to..."

Minn-Erva rolled her eyes as she removed herself from the top of Vanee and settled to her side. "No, you idiot, I mean...", Minn-Erva hesitated for a moment too embarrassed to say what she wanted to say, "I... my mother used to tell me that couples would go out on dates on Sakaar."

"Dates?"

"Like... they would go out in public. Spending time together, buying gifts for one another, hell, even kiss in public without fear of consequence. I... kinda want that. For us."

Vanee sighed. "That does sound nice. But that's never gonna happen, Minn. It's against the law."

Minn sighed sadly as she rested her chin on Vanee's shoulder. "I know," she held back tears as she continued, "I don't ever want this to end."

Vanee stroked her girlfriend's hair as she whispered, "Neither do I, and it won't."

"But... but what if they assigned us to different squads when we graduate? What if we don't ever see each other again? I don't wanna lose you. Lose... this!"

"Minny..."

"Va... outside my family and Att, you're the only one who ever loved me for me. My being half Sakaaran doesn't bother you and I love that! But... I don't see a future with you in it. That scares me..."

"Minny, I..." Vanee held her girlfriend's tear stained cheek as she shakily said, "Let's not think about it today. Let's just live in the moment. We don't have to think about this for a while. I just... let's just be together. For however long that is. Please..."

The two held each other in an embrace as Minn wetted Vanee's shoulder with her tears.

"Okay... okay..."

The two were like this for a while until curfew came. Minn-Erva kissed Vanee goodbye as she left for the top bunk.

Before Vanee-Gast could close her eyes and fall asleep, however, her mind was racing as fear for the future has beset her troubled heart.

The two things that Vanee-Gast wanted the most in her life are to wipe her father's shame from her family and be with Minn-Erva. But at this point in time, neither goal is achievable. Vanee is neither strong or skilled enough overcome her more promising rival, Gla-Ree, and she doesn't have the power to change the Kree's laws against 'fraternization outside of marriage'.

This left Vanee feeling small. Powerless.

"I wish I was strong enough to get everything I want," Vanee muttered as she slowly fell to sleep.

* * *

Back in Project Voyager, Mari-Ell busied herself with tinkering a human sized pod designed to expose a Kree body to quantum energies. It is clear that this entire affair has taken a lot out of her. The stress, the second thoughts, all of it. But Mari had a job to do, so she had to do it, even if it costed her time to talk to her daughter.

As she was working on the device's energy capacitors, Mar-Vell approached behind her and handed her boss the part that she ordered. Mari took it and said, "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Mar-Vell said before furrowing her eyebrows and asking, "Do you really think that this is a good idea? Giving soldiers the ability to manipulate quantum entanglements sounds... dangerous to say the least."

Mari sighed as she attached the part to the back of the pod. "I don't like it either, but orders are orders. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get back to the work that can actually save lives."

"Yes, but if we pull this off, we might end up losing more lives than we could ever save with our other project."

"What do you want me to say, Mar-Vell?", Mari finally snapped, "That I'm disgusted that my superiors have turned my gene therapy treatment into a weapon? That I'm dreading the lives we might lose through this damn process or the lives that will be lost when the empire unleashes these soldiers into the universe? Of course, I am! But it's not like I have a choice! I have a daughter to look after, and I'm not going to endanger her by defying my orders!"

"I... meant no disrespect," Mar-Vell responded nervously.

"No... no," Mari said as she took a deep breath, "It's okay. I just... it's been a long month and I'd rather get this over with as soon as possible."

"I suppose you're right," Mar-Vell said playing with her fingers a little, "Can I ask you something? A possibly treasonous something?"

"We've known each other for over a decade now. You know I won't report you. This place isn't bugged yet, so speak your mind."

Shifting nervously, Mar-Vell asked, "Do you... do you ever think that what we're doing here is wrong?"

"What do you mean? We do good work here. We've cured diseases and developed technological miracles together."

"I know, but what about what the empire is doing? I mean, I know the Kree Empire is bringing order to a chaotic universe. I know many of the species living under our rule have prospered for it, but... a lot of people died for it. And all these constant wars... is it really the only path to lasting peace?"

Mari stopped working and looked back at Mar-Vell. She certainly wasn't exaggerating when she said that what she had in mind might be treasonous. If Mar-Vell had said this to anyone else, she would've been reported, suspected of sedition, and be sent to a reeducation camp on one of Hala's moons. However, this doesn't make Mar-Vell's words any less legitimate.

Mari sighed. "I know what you mean. I felt that way all the time during the Klyntar War. Sure, we were the ones being invaded at the time, but... I had to do some unsavory things to complete my mission. Things that have haunted me to this day. So tell me, what has made you feel this way?"

"I... I was on Satriani a few years ago. It was recently taken from the Skrulls then, and I was assigned to a team tasked with salvaging any new technology on the designated debris zones. On the way to one of the debris zones... we passed by an internment camp. I saw the despair on the prisoners' eyes as they slaved away, and I saw a glimpse of one of the mass graves. Some of the bodies were... children. I haven't been able to get it out of my mind ever since."

"I'm sorry," Mari said softly.

Mar-Vell stammered. "Do you ever thought about leaving the empire? Leaving its troubles behind and... be someone else? Someone better?"

Mari looked down for a moment in solemn contemplation. She thought about her ex-husband, Endwi-Gast, and the day he left her and Vanee. It was a painful day for both of them, and Mari never stopped hating him for leaving behind nothing but a stained reputation for their daughter. But at the same time, she was jealous that of the freedom he now enjoys.

There's not a day that goes by where she thought about stealing a ship and taking off to the wider galaxy to be whoever she wanted to be instead of conforming to what the empire wanted. Even after rejecting the offer of command all those years ago, Mari still felt like just another cog of the imperial warmachine rather than her own person. An easily replaceable part. The only reason why she didn't leave sooner was her daughter. Thinking about it even more, Mari realized that there was no other reason for her loyalty to the empire.

After taking all of that in mind, Mari looked back at Mar-Vell and answered, "If things were different... yes. But it doesn't matter now."

"I see...", Mar-Vell mumbled, "I'll be in the lab next door. I'll see how our new nanites are developing. Call me if you need me."

"Alright," Mari hummed as her assistant left her lab. She returned to work on the pod, but with shakier hands and a more troubled mind.

* * *

As Mar-Vell entered the next room, she discreetly placed a pair of earpieces on herself. She picked up a sample of the nanite serum on a nearby table and pipeted a bit of it into a slide. Once she took the slide under a microscope, Mar-Vell secretly placed a sort of USB device into the electronic microscope.

Once the device in the microscope synced in with her earpieces, Mar-Vell spoke at the microscope, which now acted as an improvised communicator, while pretending to work. "Checking frequency. Warbird to Untamed. Untamed, do you hear me?"

_"Untamed here,"_ a male voice spoke into Mar-Vell's earpieces,  _"What's the word on Project Voyager?"_

"Voyager is nearing completion. Mari-Ell managed to refine the process enough that it would probably be able to give quantum powers to any Kree that it is used on. At least, that's what the simulations tell us. Kree trials are scheduled a couple days from now."

_"That is not good, Warbird. We've been barely able to keep up with the Kree out in the front. If the empire has an army of teleporting super soldiers under its command... well, I wouldn't like our odds then."_

Mar-Vell spoke a little more quietly. "Don't worry about that. I already sabotaged the pod. If activated, it should overload the subject with lethal amounts of quantum energy."

_"That won't stop the Kree from trying again."_

"I should be able to erase our notes and plant bombs on the labs after the test."

_"And what about Mari-Ell?"_

"What about her?"

_"Project Voyager is her baby. She's the one who discovered how to manipulate quantum energy in the first place. We need her gone for this mission to succeed."_

"You mean kill her?", Mar-Vell said with a disapproving scowl, "No! She's a good woman, Untamed. She doesn't deserve to die."

_"Didn't she slit the throat of the operative you planted in Project Voyager?"_

"Yes, but that was an accident! I forgot to warn him not to spook Mari if she had anything sharp in her hands. She's gotten a little twitchy after the Klyntar War."

_"I don't see a reason why I should spare her life."_

"Look, Mari is like me. She has doubts, and if we play our cards right, we might be able to sway her to our side. Or at least make her desert."

_"And how do you plan to do that?"_

"Mari's been under the scrutiny of the Accusers. Ronan made it perfectly clear that Command won't be pleased if this test fails, which it will. Once that happens, Mari will... she'll probably lose her job. After I take out Project Voyager, I could escape and help her see the rot inside this empire."

_"You're asking me to risk a lot on a woman I never met, Warbird."_

"You took a chance on me, didn't you. And Mari's my mentor. My friend. So please... trust me on this one."

For a moment there was silence. Mar-Vell was worried for a moment. Tense.

Then her answer came.  _"You better not be wrong about her."_

"I'm not. And thank you... Talos."

_"You're lucky you're my brother's wife and the mother of my niece. I wouldn't be doing this for just anyone. Also, codenames only when undercover."_

"Sorry, and thanks... brother."

_"Stay safe, sis."_

* * *

The next day, all the cadets in the Starforce Academy as well as those in the military and naval acadamies along with the acolytes from the Accuser temples were invited to the capital city to commune with the Supreme Intelligence. It was a serious honor for them all as the Supreme Intelligence only really communes with the commanding military or the highest governing bodies. It rarely talks to anyone outside those circles, so this is a big deal for all the students involved. It's the Kree equivalent of meeting with God in person.

While everyone is excited on the train ride over, there was also a good amount of gossip and intrigue about the Supreme Intelligence's decision. Officially, the Intelligence wishes to become closer to the next generation of the Kree military, but a few students suggest that there was an ulterior motive involved. Some think that the Intelligence plans to test the students' loyalty. Others think that it plans to groom one of them to be its champion.

Whatever the reason, one thing is certain. Vanee-Gast was nervous about what the Intelligence will say about her.

Vanee, Minn-Erva, and Att-Lass were sitting together in the middle of the train cramped between two other groups of cadets. Att-Lass was busy chatting with an old friend that left home to an Accuser temple, while Vanee was tapping her leg nervously.

Minn-Erva noticed her girlfriend's nervousness and held her hand to comfort her. "You okay?"

Vanee turned to look at Minn-Erva and forced a smile. The Supreme Intelligence is arguably the most important voice in the entire empire. What if it decided that Vanee was as weak like Gla-Ree always said? What if it told her that she was just like her father? At that point, it had to be true and nothing she could do would ever change that.

However, Vanee wanted to put on a brave face for her girlfriend. "I'm fine, Minny. Just a little nervous."

Minn-Erva smiled back and removed her hand. "If it makes you feel any better, the Intelligence would probably judge me more harshly than you."

Even when she waited for what could be the most life-changing conversation of her life, Minn-Erva still thought of her first.

"I don't know how I got so lucky," Vanee thought before saying, "At least we'll have each other."

"Always," Minn said resisting the urge to kiss her girlfriend then and there.

The two were silent for the rest of the trip as they used the train's cramped space as an excuse to cuddle with each other. It was a small comfort as the two young girls waited to arrive in the temple of their god.

* * *

After what felt like eternity waiting in line, it was Vanee's turn to enter one of Supreme Intelligence's communion chambers. Once inside, the young girl found a narrow and empty space with a pure white circle at the floor of the end of the chamber.

Hesitantly, Vanee-Gast walked over towards the circle, standing over it as the circle began glowing and leeching white tendrils into Vanee's very skin. Vanee panicked at first, but all sensations turned blank a second later as her mind communes with the Supreme Intelligence in a mental projection of its own making.

When Vanee reopened her eyes, she found herself standing on top of a sterile and unnaturally smooth surface overlooking a blue-green space filled with floating cubes made out of code.

"This is... new," Vanee said idly as she slowly processed this new experience. Vanee then looked ahead, and her eyes widened in shock at the sight of an unexpected face. "Mom?!", she gasped. However, it was then that she remembered where she is and the fact that she was told from a young age that the Supreme Intelligence takes the form of the person one most admires when in communion. "Oh, right... not Mom. Ugh, keep it together Va."

After taking a deep breath, Vanee walked towards the Supreme Intelligence's avatar as stoic and as respectful as she possibly could. The Supreme Intelligence eyed the young cadet with a maternal look Vanee found too eerily familiar to her actual mother. Only this time, the image was of her mother in the prime of her life as she wore her green and white army uniform with a matching armored headdress covering her hair. It's as if she was taken directly off the propaganda posters Vanee's hometown used to hang up with their statue of her to honor their local hero.

Vanee didn't know whether to feel invited or freaked out as she eyed the Intelligence's avatar with the utmost respect. She bowed. "I am honored to be in your presence, Supreme Intelligence."

"The feeling is mutual child," the Intelligence said in a voice all too similar to her current likeness, "What is your name?"

"Vanee-Gast, Supreme Intelligence."

"Vanee-Gast...", the avatar hummed to itself, "Come. Sit."

Suddenly, a table and two chairs positioned opposite to one another suddenly materialized to their left. Vanee gasped in amazement but soon composed herself as she took a seat.

The Supreme Intelligence sat on the opposite chair and said, "You seemed troubled child. Tell me what ails you?"

Vanee shifted around nervously on her seat. "I... I don't want to impose. I doubt my own... insecurities are that important to someone as great as you."

"Please," the Intelligence said as it reached out and held Vanee's hand like her mother would've done, "I insist. You are a child of the Kree Empire. Your feelings are important to me."

Vanee took a deep breath. "I... I'm worried... about the future."

The Intelligence's avatar narrowed its eyes. "Your future at Starforce, you mean?"

"... yes."

"You feel as if you are overshadowed by your peers? You have an overwhelming sense of inadequacy, do you? As if you felt your very mediocrity is shaming your family."

Vanee blinked. She knew the Supreme Intelligence was smart, but not this smart. "Yes..."

The Supreme Intelligence chuckled. "Don't be so hard on yourself, child. You are not the first cadet to feel this way. I should know. I experienced it myself in more than one of my lifetimes."

"If I may ask, do you have any advice for me?"

The avatar analyzed Vanee's words and thoughts very carefully to structure her response. "Only realise that you are just a single part of a great machine. Some parts may be bigger or more vital, yes, but as individuals, they pale in comparison to the greater whole. Take comfort in that knowledge, child. No matter how great your peers and rivals are, they too are simply pieces of a great and mighty empire."

Vanee smiled a little. The Intelligence's maternal tone reminded her so much of her real mother. "Thank you, Supreme Intelligence. I will try to abide by your advice."

"As you should child," the Supreme Intelligence then furrowed her avatar's eyebrows, "Yet, you have one more trouble in your heart. You have no need to keep any secrets from me, Vanee-Gast."

"I... I don't know what you're talking about," Vanee stammered. Does it know?

The avatar sighed. "Your heartbeat is racing. You are nervous. Your body language suggests you want to protect someone. A friend. Or rather... a significant other. A female significant other. Minn-Erva."

A hologram of Minn-Erva projected out of the table. Vanee's breathing felt short for one second before saying, "How... how do you know?"

The Intelligence's avatar smirked arrogantly. "Your mind is in direct communion with my Supreme Intelligence. How could I not know?"

Vanee began shaking like there was an earthquake inside her. She said hurriedly, "I-it's not her fault! I seduced her! I forced this on her! Please Intelligence... I... I can explain!"

The avatar narrowed her eyes at Vanee-Gast. "You know why fraternization outside of marriage is illegal for citizens in my empire, yes? Why homosexual relations are prohibited?", Vanee quivered in her seat silent. The Intelligence continued, "Marriage is one of the most integral institutions of the Kree Empire. It allows for harmonious union among the empire's families, and it allows us to cultivate our genes to their fullest potential. Reckless fraternization challenges that. It violates social cohesion and causes needless tension within our families. And as for homosexual relations... it serves no real purpose to our empire and is a sign of genetic weakness. Do you understand?"

Vanee was silent for a moment. She ruminates in her shame as she spoke out meekly, "But I can't deny what's in my heart. No matter how hard I try... I can't deny my feelings for Minn-Erva. She... makes smile whenever I'm sad. My heart races whenever I see her face, and her kiss is like... heaven. She's always there for me... and I don't wanna ruin her life. Minny is a better soldier and a better person than I'll ever be, so if anyone deserves to be punished... please, let it be me. Don't punish a good woman for my mistakes..."

Vanee was laying down on the table with her hands flat together, kowtowing to the Supreme Intelligence to beg for Minn-Erva's life. The Intelligence studied Vanee's mind for a good second before a smile crept up on its face. "Do not worry, child. I shall keep your secret."

Vanee couldn't believe what she was hearing. She lifted her head up and asked, "I... what?"

"I won't tell your secret to anyone else, nor will I punish you or your lady friend. Your secret is safe with me."

"What... changed your mind?", Vanee asked hesitantly.

"Your conviction... your love for this girl... I am impressed that such strength in character can be drawn from such a source," the Intelligence spoke with a respectful tone, "Punishing you for this strength seems... illogical. And so, I shall protect your secret."

"I... I don't what to say," Vanee said as a wide and happy smile graced her face, "Thank you! I... we appreciate your kindness. We won't forget it."

"I hope so," the Intelligence said as its avatar casually leaned back on its chair, "I sense great things in your future Vanee-Gast. Great things."

Vanee nodded subserviently. "You are too kind, Supreme Intelligence."

"You are welcome. Farewell."

Vanee gasped as she was suddenly brought back to reality. She looked around to see that she was back at the chamber.

"Time for me to leave," Vanee said as she walked out the chamber feeling as if a great weight was lifted off her chest.

* * *

Vanee was outside the gates when she saw her friends again waiting for her. She smiled at them.

Att-Lass started the conversation by saying, "There she is! So how did your meeting with the big boss went?"

Minn-Erva nudged Att-Lass with her elbow. "Remember where you are Att. The Intelligence might have ears here."

"I wouldn't worry about that. I'm sure that I'm on good terms with the Supreme Intelligence. It said that my strength will be the foundation that my team would lean on after all."

"I'm sure it was just being polite," Minn-Erva said snidely.

"Didn't it tell you that your mixed heritage will be a boon to the empire?", Att-Lass reminded her.

"Like I said. Polite," Minn-Erva said before turning to Vanee, "How about you?"

Vanee simply shrugged. "The same."

"I know that smile," Att-Lass said with a giddy smirk, "The Intelligence's wisdom got to you, didn't it? It warmed your cold, steely heart yes?"

Vanee nodded dismissively, "I guess. I admit, I do feel... better."

"Better is good," Minn-Erva nodded. She noticed the loving gaze Vanee is giving her. She blushed and asked, "Why... are you looking at me like that?"

Vanee answered, "I just... I like what you did with your hair today."

"I... thanks. I try...", Minn-Erva said as she twirling her hair like a lovestruck schoolgirl, "I... like your hair too."

"Thanks."

Att-Lass stood there awkwardly. "I see that I'm no longer needed. I'll just... be over there."

Now relatively alone, Vanee moved closer and wrapped Minn-Erva in a warm embrace.

Minn-Erva blushed even harder. She almost melted in her girlfriend's embrace, but then snapped into attention and pulled away. "What are you doing?! Do you wanna get caught?!"

"It's just... we have the day off, right?"

"Yes... that's what Sergeant Yon-Rogg said. Why?"

"We can go out into the city, right?", Minn-Erva nodded as Vanee continued, "Then let's go out on a date. We can go wherever you want. Let's just be together today."

"What's gotten into you?", Minn asked confused and slightly concerned.

"It's just something that the Supreme Intelligence said to me."

Minn-Erva's eyes widened in alarm. "It knows?!"

"Don't worry. The Intelligence told me it's keeping our relationship secret. We're safe."

"I... really?"

Vanee nodded. "I couldn't believe it either, but it's somehow okay with... us."

Minn-Erva frowned. "We still have to keep what we have a secret, you know."

"I know, but... we're well practiced in discretion by now. I think we can manage spending time in public without stirring too much suspicion. So what do you say? Do you wanna go out on a date with me?", Vanee asked rather nervously, "Please?"

Minn-Erva eyed her girlfriend for a moment before a smile graced her face. She laughed. "Well, I suppose we have to celebrate the Intelligence's approval of our relationship somehow."

"Does that mean..."

Minn-Erva nodded as she took Vanee's hand. "Yes. Let's go out together. There's this noodle place in the Sakaaran Quarter that I've always wanted to visit."

"Then lead the way, my lady," Vanee said coyly as Minn-Erva eagerly dragged her girlfriend to the nearest train.

For the first time in forever, the two girls felt like a real couple. Hopeful, energetic, and oh so in love.

Att-Lass looked around confused to see that his friends are no longer there. "You guys? Where did you go?"

* * *

It was nighttime now. The perfect time for scheming.

Ronan the Accuser was currently in the inner sanctum of the Supreme Intelligence, the place where its central processing unit, the closest thing it has to a physical form, is housed. Outside the Intelligence's chambers was a solid metal door locked behind blood scanner.

Ronan placed his thumb into the circular device, barely flinching as the machine pricked his blue skin for his blood. Once the blood scanner analyzed his blood, the gate's locks undid themselves as they swung open automatically. Once the chamber was fully revealed, Ronan saw the true form of the Supreme Intelligence encased in a glass tank.

The AI was a being made of pure green energy sparking wildly with power within its container. Once Ronan entered its wide, open chambers, it formed a giant green head for the Accuser to interact with, a frightening visage with pupil-less eyes and what looked like tentacles flowing freely on top of its otherwise bald head.

Ronan looked upon his machine god and was humbled. He bent his knee in fealty to the Supreme Intelligence and laid his Universal Weapon down. "Supreme Intelligence. I am honored to witness your physical presence."

The Intelligence spoke with a loud booming voice that sounded like the ethereal chantings of a thousand Kree voices.  **"As you should."**

"Your message informed me that your invitation to the youth of the Kree military has led you to find a suitable test subject for Project Voyager."

**"Indeed it has, Ronan. Out of all the youths that I have graced my Intelligence to, one in particular shows the most promise. She is a cur whose greatest desire is to earn the respect of her peers and desires the strength to do so. She has great ambitions, but is ultimately held back by her own feelings of inadequacy and can be easily exploited through her romantic relations with a female half-breed. Out of all the youths I have met today, none are more... easily malleable and fit for manipulation as her."**

"Give me a name, so that I may send for her in the morning."

A devilish grin then crept up in the Supreme Intelligence's frightening face.

**"Her name is Vanee-Gast."**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's another chapter done. And in record time too.
> 
> Before we leave, let me drop of few notes. For those of you confused why I decided to make Mar-Vell a mother, it is mainly for one reason. I want to set up the possibility of using the teen hero, Hulkling in a future story. In case you don't know, Hulkling, real name Theodore Altman, is a Kree/Skrull hybrid, and in the comics he is the son of the original Captain Marvel and a Skrull princess named, Anelle. Due to the continuity of the MCU this simply won't be possible to adapt directly from the comic. Since I want Hulkling to be a teen by the present day, I decided to make Mar-Vell his grandmother instead. Mar-Vell's daughter, Anelle, would grow up to have a son with a Kree man by the 2000s. This would make Hulkling two thirds Kree and one third Skrull rather than half and half, but I think it could work. I'll try to incorporate some of Hulkling's other circumstances when that story comes, but don't be surprised if I have to change a few things.
> 
> Also, Endwi-Gast and the Grandmaster are two different people in this continuity. As much as I love Jeff Goldblum's character, he's not really the cosmically powerful and mischievous Elder of Universe from the comics. While I doubt Endwi will show up in this story in any meaningful manner, I do have plans for him in the future that requires him to be as powerful as his comic counterpart.
> 
> That's really all I have to say for now. Thank you for the read, and I hope to see you again next time.


	3. The Death of Vanee-Gast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's summed up in the tin... well, kinda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I forget, Minn-Erva's Sakaaran half comes from the Shadow People of Sakaar or Grey Sakaarans. For people who don't know, there are three major races of Sakaarans in the comics. The first are the Sakaaran natives, who are the bug people that Miek belongs to. The second are the Imperial Sakaarans or Red Sakaarans, who are the dominant race in the comics and are, put simply, space Romans with red skin. And the third are aforementioned Grey Sakaarans, who are similar to the Imperials in appearance but have grey skin and are more spiritual. Fun fact, Hulk married one of these Shadow People, Caiera, and had a son with her, Skaar.
> 
> While the MCU had Sakaar be this chaotic melting pot of alien races, my headcanon splits the difference in that the three races exist as they do in the comics but there are many representatives of different alien races across the planet. Additionally, the Grandmaster only controls part of the planet in this canon while the rest of the planet is divided between several different factions from the three races.
> 
> Now that the trivia is done with, enjoy the chapter.

Everything seemed to have slowed down for Mari-Ell as her entire world fell apart in front of her eyes.

She could barely hear the commotion among her peers, fellow scientists and attending military officials, as they stared at the horrible scene that had just taken place in the other side of the glass.

Mari could hear Mar-Vell rushing towards her and tugging at her shoulder. She spoke in a hushed and hesitant tone as she told her, "Mari, I... I'm so..."

Mari-Ell ignored her as she ran forward and undid the locks to the chamber door by inputting a four digit password. She swung the steel door wide open, causing the smoke inside the quantum chamber to come rushing out, causing anyone near it to cough.

Mari-Ell covered her mouth as she rushed through the smoke cloud to see if her worst fears had come true. A few seconds later, Mari wished she didn't.

Mari's mouth dropped as stared at the scene with the utmost shock in her eyes. The quantum pod that she'd been working on had been reduced to a charred mess, its pristine white shell ruined by soot and torn metal. And in front of that mess was a pile of ash.

That was all that was left of the test subject.

Tears began to run down Mari's cheek as the sheer realization of what happened hit her all at once like an unforgiving tidal wave. She dropped to her knees, closed her eyes, and wailed her sorrows into the very air.

These were the cries of a mother who had just lost her child.

* * *

**18 Hours Ago**

Vanee looked hard at her target with the most intense look she could muster. "You think you're so tough, eh? But I assure you, you never faced anyone as tough as me. My name... is Vanee-Gast! Daughter of Mari-Ell! The Champion of Empress Pam-Ah! You will taste no victory this day!"

Without hesitation, Vanee squeezed the trigger and watched her projectile fly with the deadly swiftness of a bird of prey...

... and was off by three inches.

Vanee's eyes widened, first out of embarrassment and then with rage, as she shook the dart gun in her hands in frustration. "Bloody hell?!"

From the side, Minn-Erva watched in amusement as her girlfriend was about to meltdown at the fact that she just missed her last target in the shooting gallery booth. It didn't help that the target, an animatronic chibi Nova with an oversized helmet, was currently cackling at her as if to rub salt in the wound.

The Sakaaran native attending the booth, a rather scrawny bug man with a yellow shell, let out a small chuckle as he told her, "Sorry for your loss, child. But what about you spend some more of your units and try again?"

Vanee grunted. "This gun is defective! The sights are buggered, and its muzzle speed is pathetic! How is anyone supposed to win with this?!"

"I think that's the point, Va," Minn-Erva said as she took out another dart gun from the table and handed some units over to the attendant, "You have to play by their rules. Watch and learn."

The gallery attendant pulled a switch, which restarted the game again, propping up the fallen targets as the dolls moved side-to-side on two sets of rails. The object of this shooting gallery is to shoot down all four Nova targets in the allotted three minutes. However, there are an additional three Kree targets to shoot at. If the player runs out of time, runs out of ammo, or shoots one of the Kree, they lose. It was meant to be a true test of one's aim and skill with firearms (or an easy source of income from witless Kree tourists, take your pick).

As the music plays and the game begins, Minn-Erva lifts up her gun and takes aim.

In under one minute, she fires off four out of her seven darts in the chamber. Each dart shot true and struck all four of the Nova targets in the head (and all in the bullseye of their helmet's red crests too). When the last Nova fell, a sound effect played of the dying gargles of the enemy and the (clearly acted) cheers of the surviving Kree.

The native attendant gasped in amazement. "You have won where others have failed! For you, many tickets! Yes!"

Minn-Erva smiled smugly as she put down the gun and recieved a long string of tickets. In all that time, Vanee's mouth was hanging open in amazement. "How... how did you do that?! I was so sure that this game was rigged!"

"You see, the trick is to aim an inch to the left and wait half a second before firing," Minn-Erva then looked down with a nostalgic smile, "My older brother taught me that trick."

Vanee smiled at her fondly. "You really are exceptional."

"I know," Minn-Erva teased before looking at the prizes on the booth's shelves. After tapping her chin for a good half-minute, Minn-Erva told the attendant, "I would like that bandana and the flerken plushie."

"Good choice," the attendant clicked his mandibles before taking half the ticket string and handing the girl her prizes.

The two then departed from the booth as they walked through the wider carnival.

On the same day where the Supreme Intelligence invited Kree youths to meet with it, a special holiday has taken place in the Sakaaran Quarter of Hala's capital city. Today was Spike Eradication Day, a special holiday for Sakaarans celebrating the end of the Spike plague, a major alien pandemic that had ravaged Sakaar for decades.

The end of Spikes hold special significance for all three races of Sakaar, and it is a day set aside for games, parties, and general merriment. Although the Kree usually frown upon displays of public rowdiness, the city government has given the local Sakaaran community a special allowance to hold their various festivals within the confines of their quarter. It was a small privilege that the historically oppressed Sakaaran minority get to enjoy.

Vanee looked down at the red bandana in her hands in confusion. She turned to Minn-Erva and asked, "How come I get the cheap looking rag, and you get the stuffed flerken?"

"I won those prizes, so I decided who gets who," Minn-Erva said firmly, "And that 'cheap looking rag' is an Ashaad band."

"And what does that supposed to mean?"

"It's a... it's a Grey Sakaaran thing," Minn-Erva began to explain, "For my mother's people, it traditionally belongs to the head scout of the tribe. It's for brave explorers, you see. For... voyagers."

Vanee's eyebrows perked up at hearing her childhood nickname. She chuckled. "Are you making this up to make me blush? Because it's working!"

Minn-Erva shook her head. "No, it's an actual Shadow People tradition. Our best explorers would wear the Ashaad band over their neck before going out into the wastes. It's a charm meant protect them from monsters!"

"So if I started wearing this, I will be immune to wild animal attacks. Is that what you're saying?", Vanee teased.

Minn-Erva blushed. "It's... it's just a tradition. Superstitious, maybe, but..."

Vanee tied the red bandana over her neck and held Minn-Erva's hand. "I'm just teasing, Minny. I actually love the gift. Thank you for thinking about me."

Minn-Erva blushed even deeper as she looked away and smiled. "You're welcome."

The two let go as they walked quietly through the crowd and took in the sights. The Sakaaran Quarter may be dirty and impoverished, but its people are nonetheless lively and passionate, the exact opposite of what a Kree was supposed to be. Vanee was suppose to think less of these races. She was supposed to think herself superior to them and Minn-Erva, because of their inferiority both culturally and genetically.

But when she looked into Minn-Erva's eyes, she couldn't help but smile and love her. She wasn't some half-breed mutt to her. She was a great shot, a reliable friend, and the rock that had supported her for all these years. That was real, not the prejudices that the Kree had taught her.

Minn-Erva noticed Vanee's stare and asked, "What?"

Vanee took a deep breath. "Do you remember the day we first met?"

"Va, what brought this on?"

"It's... just a thought. Well?"

Minn-Erva took a deep breath as she brought out old memories to the forefront of her mind. "I was... five. My family had just moved to Marilo, and I... had a hard time fitting in. After the kids found out that my mom was a Grey Sakaaran, some of them cornered me in the yard and told me that I should 'go home'. Then... they beat me up. It felt like they were gonna kill me, but then... you came. Like my Accuser in shining armor."

Vanee laughed. "I remember losing that fight, and I remember that my mom had to get me out of that mess."

"Yes, but while they were beating you up, I escaped with my life," Minn-Erva chuckled.

"I admit, that's a pretty odd way to start a friendship," Vanee laughed back.

Minn-Erva smiled fondly at Vanee. "But I'm glad it happened."

"You mean you're glad I took your beating?", Vanee teased.

Minn-Erva playfully pushed Vanee in the shoulder as the two laughed. "I'm glad it led me to you," Minn-Erva said as she grabbed her girlfriend's hand, "I... can't really ever imagine my life without you in it."

"Me too," Vanee answered back. The two girls stared each other for the moment as they smiled and resisted the urge to kiss one another. They then noticed a spot behind the restrooms, that would allow them to be alone together.

Minn-Erva let out a teasing smile as she guided an equally enthusiastic Vanee behind the restrooms. Once the two girls know that they were completely alone and out of sight in this walled and narrow space, Minn-Erva pushed Vanee with a primal ferocity in her eyes as she shoved her head forward and claimed her girlfriend's lips with a kiss. Vanee returned the kiss with equal passion as held her love's rear.

The two girls made out in a messy yet loving way until they had to separate for air. As they breathed heavily, the two girlfriends smiled at each other and laughed.

Vanee spoke first. "I love you."

"I know," Minn-Erva responded teasingly as she gave Vanee a small peck in her lips, "We shouldn't... take any more chances."

Vanee nodded. "A-Agreed."

The two then left their spot and continued walking for a few more minutes. They spoke idly until Minn-Erva spotted something that caught her eye.

"Hey!", Minn said as she pointed Vanee to a small concrete shack, "It's that noodle place I've mentioned!"

"Really?", Vanee said as she eyed up the establishment. Like all the other buildings in the Sakaaran Quarter, the noodle restaurant was covered in grime and slightly run down. It had this neon sign that showcased its name brightly into the night-  _The Red King's Worm Shack._ Vanee was pretty sure that lightbulb off to the left was flickering. "Is it... safe to eat in there? I rather not get food poisoning in my night off."

Minn-Erva nudged her girlfriend with her shoulder. "Come on, love. Where's your sense of adventure?"

Vanee looked out to the corner of her eye to see that Att-Lass with his acolyte friend have just finishing a round of Whack-A-Skrull. She smirked as she told Minn-Erva, "How about we make this a double date?"

"The more, the merrier," Minn-Erva nodded as Vanee loudly called to her friends.

The four spent the rest of the night eating good food, enjoying all the games and festivities, and relishing each other's company while it lasted. When curfew came near, the three friends bid Hala goodbye (Att-Lass' friend not the planet) before boarding a train back to Starforce Academy. After parting with Att-Lass, Minn-Erva and Vanee walked back to her quarters just as curfew was in effect.

They went straight to their bunk as regulation demanded. This time, however, the two lovebirds shared the same bed.

* * *

Vanee's eyes opened the next morning, a good half-hour before training was about to begin again. She felt a comforting warmth and soft touch to her left side, which confused her at first until she remembered what happened last night.

Vanee's blurry vision was eventually clear enough to make out the blue mass in front of her eyes. It was a face with with the prettiest eyes, the most beautiful smile, and hair that looks surprisingly decent in the morning.

"Good morning, sleepy head," Minn-Erva greeted.

"Hey," Vanee smiled back as she moved over to sit on the edge of her bed.

Minn-Erva crawled up to her girlfriend and wrapped her arms over her shoulders in a loving embrace. She gave a quick peck to the cheek and said, "Last night was... fun."

Vanee scoffed. "All we did was kiss and snuggle."

"But I like sleeping next to you for a change," Minn-Erva said before giving a slightly longer kiss to Vanee's neck.

Vanee shuddered and let out a light chuckle. "Let's, um... change into our uniforms."

"Right now?", Minn said as she teased her girlfriend by tracing circles into the collar of her neck.

Vanee found it very hard to not give into her desires, but she did manage it. She got out of her bed and said, "It's better if we do it now."

"Pfft! Alright...", Minn-Erva whined.

The two spent the next couple of minutes changing into their uniforms. When the two were done putting on their outfits, Vanee eyed Minn-Erva with a smirk as she said, "I never noticed this before, but you make that outfit look good."

"Thanks," Minn-Erva said before noticing the red bandana around Vanee's neck, "The band..."

Vanee shrugged. "It completes the outfit."

"I'm pretty sure wearing that to training is against regulations."

"I'll take it off when the bell rings. But until then...", Vanee said as she strutted forth suggestively at her girlfriend, "I think I should protect myself. In case some wild and... beautiful creature decides to attack me."

Minn-Erva teased back. "The Ashaad band won't protect you from all monsters."

Vanee stopped and gave Minn-Erva a knowing look. "Prove it."

Minn-Erva took a step forward to her girlfriend...

Only to be interrupted when their door slid open to reveal Yon-Rogg. The two girls were spooked by their drill sergeant's sudden appearance as they were force to stand at attention and salute him.

"Sir!", they both exclaimed.

"At ease," Yon-Rogg said before looking at Vanee, "Cadet Gast. Command requested your presence immediately. They have a special assignment for you."

"An assignment?", Vanee asked raising a brow in confusion, "I don't understand. What assignment?"

"They didn't say, but they asked for you specifically and wanted you to skip today's training to do so," Yon-Rogg motioned to her, "Follow me."

"Yes sir," Vanee then looked over to Minn-Erva and said, "I guess I'll see you later."

"Right," Minn-Erva said forlornly as she watched her girlfriend walk with Yon-Rogg out of their room.

* * *

The car ride to Project Voyager was... awkward, to say the least.

Yon-Rogg had escorted Vanee-Gast to a hover car, where she met a pair of Accusers, in full armor no less. To say that their presence put the fear of the Intelligence into young Vanee would be an understatement. At times, Vanee felt like she was herded to her own execution as she rode on the backseat next to an Accuser so stiff and quiet that one could mistake her for a statue. The driver wasn't much of a talker either, so the entire trip was conducted in a deafening silence.

Well... almost.

There was one more Accuser in the passenger seat. Unlike his fellow Accusers, he seemed more laid-back as he said to Vanee, "Well... ain't this awkward."

Vanee stayed silent and nervously picked at the hem of her pants.

The Accuser continued, "You alright back there? Your stomach feeling good?"

"I... yes," Vanee responded sheepishly, "I'm alright... sir."

"I just wanna say that it's okay to be a little nervous," he said, "I know how shady this all seems. Will a name make you feel better? If so, the name's Huran."

"Thank you... Accuser Huran."

The Accuser next to Vanee said, "Don't fraternize with the cadet."

"Fraternize?", Huran said incredulously, "Trying to comfort a child is considered fraternization?"

"In this case, yes," she said coldly.

"Are you absolutely sure about that, heartless one?"

The driver interrupted, "Both of you be quiet. We're here."

The hover car rode into the advanced five story facility that housed Project Voyager. Vanee's eyes were affixed to the structure before her, admiring the pinnacle of Kree architecture.

Awaiting in the lobby behind the main entrance was Mari-Ell and Ronan the Accuser. Once the hover car stopped and its doors opened, Mari's eyes opened wide when she saw who their test subject is.

She whispered to Ronan, "I wasn't aware you've chosen my daughter to be our first test subject."

"The Supreme Intelligence decided that she would be the best choice for the program," Ronan stated as a matter-of-fact.

Mari felt a small pang of pride at the thought of acknowledging her daughter's potential. However, that was replaced by overwhelming, maternal concern as she said, "Is it truly wise to choose a child for this procedure."

"The Supreme Intelligence decided that a youth aged 13 to 16 would be best suited for the procedure. I believe it said something about the biological malleability of Kree teenagers. I do not question the Intelligence's wisdom and neither should you."

"But this procedure might be dangerous. Lethal even is something goes wrong," Mari-Ell insisted with a scowl.

"Then your daughter dies and you get demoted, so you best hope  _nothing_ goes wrong," Ronan spat back.

Mari clenched her fist in anger, however, she decided there would be no point in causing a scene. What the Supreme Intelligence wants, it gets. Mari exhaled out her rage as her daughter and her Accuser escorts enter the building.

Vanee's eyes widened. "Mom?!"

"Hey Va," Mari said with a warm smile before Vanee ran up to her and gave her a big hug.

Mari was taken aback at first, but then smiled and returned her daughter's hug a second later. Unfortunately, this warm, mother-daughter moment would be cut short.

Ronan spoke up, "Let us dispense with the pleasantries, Doctor Mari-Ell. Vanee-Gast needs to be prepared for the procedure."

Mari glared at Ronan for a moment before pulling away from her daughter. Vanee looked up at her mother and asked, "What is he talking about? What procedure?"

Mari sighed. "Just follow Accuser Ronan, Va. He'll explain everything."

Vanee frowned nervously. As a loyal Kree, Vanee-Gast was compelled to see this assignment through. However, all this secrecy and the presence of all these Accusers sent chills up her spine. This was all too much for a 15 year old girl. She was just a cadet, a trainee, but somehow she got roped up in this top-secret intrigue.

However, Vanee wanted to put up a brave face for her mother and simply nodded. When Ronan beckoned her to come with him, Vanee reluctantly followed.

Mari watched as her daughter left. She sighed as she felt a nagging worry inside her heart. It's as if her maternal instincts are screaming for her to not let Vanee go through this procedure.

* * *

Vanee then found herself sitting on a bed inside Project Voyager's medbay. Some doctors came by to inspect Vanee physically, much to her discomfort at times. When they were done determining her health, the doctors proceeded to inject her with a stange, violet serum. They then left her alone, and instructed her not to get out of the room.

It's been about an hour since that time, and Vanee had nothing left to do except fidget in her seat.

"Damn it! What's taking so long?!", she cursed to herself, "Why hasn't anyone told me anything?! The suspense is killing me!"

It didn't help that the serum was starting to make Vanee feel a little hyperactive as if every cell in her body was vibrating out of reality. Vanee could've sworn that her heart was about to explode. What's worse was that the serum made her stomach upset as it grumbled loudly.

"Damn... I think I'm gonna... I'm gonna...", Vanee then ran out of her seat and to the nearest trash bin. She split it wide open before dumping everything she ate last night out through her mouth. When she was finished, Vanee fell back, sitting on the floor, as she felt her head starting to spin. "Not one of my finest moments, for sure..."

It was then that Ronan walked through the door, as stoic and menacing as ever with a grimace on his face and his Universal Weapon in his hand. When Vanee noticed the Accuser in the room, she rushed to get up and stand at attention with a salute.

"At ease," Ronan responded. He then noticed the bandana wrapped around Vanee's neck. He scowled and asked her, "What are you wearing, Cadet Gast?"

Vanee was confused for a second before looking down on her bandana. "Crap!", she thought. She forgot to remove it before coming here. Well, too late to go back. "It's... a gift sir. From a friend. It's a Grey Sakaaran Ashaad band."

"Sakaaran?", Ronan spoke with a dismissive scoff, "Such a savage little thing should not grace your uniform, cadet."

Vanee winced. "Sorry sir. Do you... do you want me to remove it?"

"For right now, it doesn't matter," Ronan said as he read Vanee's body language, "You wish to know why you're here, yes?"

"I... yes sir."

"Very well," Ronan said before pointing to the bed, "Have a seat."

Vanee obeyed as she walked over and sat on her previous spot. Ronan explained, "To put it bluntly, you will be the first test subject of Project Voyager."

"Voyager?", Vanee spoke out with a brow raised in confusion to her childhood nickname.

"Yes. Our best scientists have been working on a gene therapy meant to strengthen our genome through the use of quantum energy. However, what they discovered was more than simple a cure for genetic defects," Ronan said as he projected a holographic screen on his gauntlet. Vanee gasped at the sight of Subject 18 teleporting random objects through will alone. "They discovered a way to directly harness quantum energy itself to manipulate quantum entanglements at the subatomic level. If we managed to create soldiers with these abilities, our various campaigns could benefit greatly from this new army."

"And you want me to be the first test subject?"

"Indeed. Should this procedure succeed, you will be the first of many of these quantum super soldiers. You will rise above your peers, and become a weapon without equal in the service of the Kree Empire and the Supreme Intelligence. You will be a hero. Like your mother once was."

Vanee would be lying if she said she wasn't tempted by this prospect. This power... it might just be what could finally wipe her father's dishonor from her family name. Being part of a special corps of super soldiers, spearheading the conquests of the Kree military, could make her a hero like her mother and bring glory to their family. At the very least, it would finally be able to allow her to put that stupid Gla-Ree in his place!

However, Vanee couldn't go all in on this just yet. There was one nagging thought that was getting at her as she heard Ronan's pitch.

"If I go through this... will I have to transfer out of Starforce Academy?"

"Yes," Ronan answered without any hint of tact, "Is that going to be a problem, cadet?"

"I...", Vanee shuddered as dreadful unease gripped her heart. Although this super soldier program was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Vanee couldn't help but hesitate. If she goes through this procedure and gets into the program, chances are that she will never be with Minn-Erva again. It seems silly, passing up such an opportunity for a girl, but Vanee couldn't stomach the fact that her relationship with Minn-Erva was going to end this soon. "Do... do I get any say in this?"

"Are you having any second thoughts, cadet?"

"It's just...", Vanee spoke hesitantly, "I have been working to get into Starforce for so long..."

Ronan frowned. "If we succeed, Starforce would pale in comparison to the power of this new army, so are you willing to better yourself or not?"

The ultimatum has been sent. Vanee pondered her options before saying, "I... can't commit to this! I'm sorry, but... I'm not worthy. I can't be the soldier you want me to be. I'm to attached to... to..."

"To her?", Ronan said before projecting another projection from his gauntlet. Vanee froze up in terror as she watched a recording of her and Minn-Erva last night. Through a hidden camera planted in their room, Vanee saw herself kissing her secret girlfriend before laying in bed with her. "I know you're not worthy to be a soldier of the empire, but the Supreme Intelligence chose  _you_  to the first test subject. Do you understand the situation you found yourself in, Cadet Gast?"

Vanee was silent. He knows. The Supreme Intelligence had betrayed her trust and is using her secret to force her into this program. She really had no choice now.

"Yes sir... I understand sir..."

"Good," Ronan said before turning to leave, "The serum in you needs to gestate for another five minutes or so. Use that time to steel yourself, if you can."

Once Ronan has left the room, Vanee walked over to the wall and curled up into a ball as she lamented her situation. She cursed her own weakness for dragging Minn-Erva into danger. She just had to break the law, Vanee thought. Vanee couldn't just have kept her feelings for Minn-Erva inside, and now the life of her best friend will always be at the mercy of the Supreme Intelligence.

Vanee tried to comfort herself by imagining her future as righteous Kree warrior with the powers of a god and the respect of her people, but then reality came crashing down towards her when the girl realized that she would be forced to become the Supreme Intelligence's puppet for as long as it wished. A tool to be used and then disposed of once it gets too worn. And even if Vanee proved to be a useful asset, she doubt the highest authority in the Kree Empire would allow her to be with Minn-Erva ever again. It couldn't risk the scandal.

So in the end, Vanee lost the girl she loved forever.

* * *

Mar-Vell was currently inside one of labs and was working on her computer. She was working to cover her tracks to make sure no one could suspect sabotage or at least pin it on her. Mari gave her some time off today as a thanks for being a great help to the project and a friend to confide in. She intended to have her friend to relax, but as a double agent, Mar-Vell found it to be second nature to advance her mission whenever she can.

It was at that moment that Accuser Huran came by suddenly through her door. When Mar-Vell glimpsed him in the corner of her eye, she jumped and let out a rather undignified scream.

She quickly composed herself as she glared at the Accuser. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?! Can't you Accusers let a woman do her work in peace?!"

It was then that Huran's blue face transformed to green behind his armored cowl. Mar-Vell recognized that face immediately and said, "Talos?! Are trying to blow your cover?! You're not supposed to see me yet!"

"Keep your voice down. You know I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important."

Mar-Vell crossed her arms and glared at her brother-in-law. "And what was so important that you had to jeopardize your cover to see me?"

Talos coughed nervously. "It's about the test subject. Do you know who it is?"

"Not yet. Why?"

"Here's the thing. I know we're here to sabotage Project Voyager and stop the Kree from making an army of quantum powered super soldiers. It's good goal, but I think you might want to hold off a bit."

"Why?"

Talos sighed. "Because the test subject's name is Vanee-Gast."

Mar-Vell's eyes widened. "I gotta... I gotta stop this test!"

Talos tried to stop her. "Look, I get that she's your friend's daughter, but you can't just go rushing in without a plan."

"There's no time! The procedure will begin in a couple minutes!", Mar-Vell yelled as she pushed Talos aside, "I'll just have to think of something on the way."

Talos groaned in frustration as he transformed back into Huran and followed his panicked comrade.

* * *

Vanee followed Ronan and two other Accusers through the halls of Project Voyager. The poor girl was shaking and holding back her tears. She wouldn't dare show weakness to the fanatics of the empire.

Once Vanee entered the room where the quantum chamber is housed in, she was met by possibly the only friendly face in this building. Her mother.

Mari broke away from the prestigious crowd as she walked over to her daughter. However the two nameless Accusers were blocking her way.

Mari scowled at them and said, "Let me be with my daughter."

One of the Accusers looked at Ronan, who replied with a silent nod. The two Accusers then parted to allow Mari-Ell to move towards her daughter and cup the troubled girl's cheeks with her hands.

"You okay, Va? You look pale," Mari said in a doting tone.

Vanee sniffled and nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, mom. I'm fine."

Mari noticed the redness in Vanee's eyes and the faint tear marks on her cheeks. The sight made Mari-Ell's heart broke a little as she said, "Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah... I just want to get this over with."

Mari tilted her head and whispered to her, "You don't have to do this if you don't want to. We could always find someone else."

Vanee shook her head almost immediately as she forced a smile and said, "No... I... I can do this, mom. You named this project after me, remember?"

Mari smiled back. "Can you make me a promise?", Vanee stood attentively as her mother continued, "No matter what happens in there, promise me you'll remain the girl I raised. Not a super soldier, but a good woman. No matter what life throws your way, promise me you'll always have the courage to do what's right. No matter what."

Vanee wanted to say that she couldn't make that promise. She wanted to say that she was a coward who recklessly puts the ones she loves in danger and would bend the knee when things got hard. But she couldn't bear to disappoint her mother. Her hero.

"I promise. I'll make you proud, mom."

Mari's smile widened as she hugged her daughter and whispered, "You already do, my little Voyager."

Ronan then stepped up and said, "We've wasted enough time."

Mari glared at Ronan before separating from her daughter. She smiled at her and said, "Good luck, Va."

Vanee took a deep and trembling breath as she nodded and followed her Accuser escorts into the entrace of the quantum chamber. Ronan entered the four digit password and opened the door. Vanee walked into the chamber after being prompted by Ronan.

Once inside the chamber, the door behind her was closed shut and the pearl white pod opened up. Vanee shuddered as she stepped inside the pod and into her new life.

After the pod doors sealed Vanee in, Ronan, Mari, and their peers awaited eagerly as the technicians begin their preparations.

* * *

Mar-Vell and Talos ran through the halls like stampeding bulls, pushing away any idling custodians and other low-level employees along the way. Once they reached the doors that led to the testing room, they found two Accusers guarding it.

One of them held out her hand and stopped the two saying, "The procedure is currently underway. No one is permitted inside until it is done."

Mar-Vell shouted, "Please! You got to let us in! This a matter of life and death!"

The other Accuser said, "We are under direct orders from Accuser Ronan to not let anyone inside. Neither of you have the authority to override his orders."

Talos chimed in, "Not even for a fellow Accuser?"

"No exceptions," the second Accuser stated firmly.

Talos furrowed his eyebrows and said, "Look, I know you all are just doing your jobs, but we're already supposed to be inside. Mar-Vell, here, is like one of big brains in this project, and I'm on guard duty."

The female Accuser asked, "If that is the case, why were you delayed?"

"We were...", Talos stammered as he struggled to find a good lie, "She was busy doing... science stuff, and I was... wanking off in the closet!"

Mar-Vell facepalmed as both Accusers shifted around uncomfortably.

Talos looked at them indignantly. "Don't pretend you haven't done it before!"

The male Accuser spoke up, "Regardless of your... circumstances, we cannot let you pass."

With time running short, Mar-Vell spoke out without thinking, "I have reason to believe that someone has sabotaged the procedure!"

The Accusers stand there with their eyes widened in shock.

Talos whispered to her, "What the hell are you thinking?!"

Mar-Vell ignored him as she anxiously awaited the Accusers to make their decision.

* * *

Vanee was lying on the pod, strapped in through metal harnesses.

As she heard the metal gears turning, Vanee yelped in pain as a pair of needles inserting themselves into her spine to inject it with secondary nanites. Once the sharp needles removed themselves from Vanee's flesh and bones, an intense heat suddenly radiated intensely in her enclosed space.

It felt like the heat was searing the flesh off her bones at times. If the heat wasn't bad enough, a flash of violet light blinded her suddenly. Like the heat, the light grew intense, so intense that the rays stabbed into her eyes even though her eyelids.

To complete her trio of pain, her blood literally boiled as heat and light intensified so bad that Vanee felt that she was about to pass out. But before that point, Vanee screamed.

Her scream broke through the cold steel of her container as all Vanee could see was a burning violet light with an azure eyed shadow at its center.

* * *

Mari's heart was racing as she heard her daughter's cries of pain. Almost immediately, she knew that something has gone wrong. She looked over at one of the monitors to see that the rate of quantum saturation was higher than projected in the simulations.

Mari turned to Ronan and said, "Something's wrong. We need to stop the procedure. Now!"

Ronan shook his head dismissively. "You are too soft on the girl. Pain is only a nuisance to a true Kree."

"It's not just that..."

"Enough!", Ronan placed his foot down, "I will no longer entertain this discussion. We are seeing this through to the end."

Before Mari can say another word, the two Accusers guarding the door suddenly entered with Mar-Vell and Talos behind them.

Ronan growled at his disobedient subordinates. "I told you no one was to enter until the test is finished!"

The female Accuser responded, "Sir, Doctor Mar-Vell has claimed that someone has sabotaged the quantum pod."

Mar-Vell herself spoke up, "It's true! Stop this now before it is too late!"

Mari added, "I told you something's wrong! Let's stop wasting time and get my daughter out of that pod!"

Ronan looked at Mar-Vell and asked, "How do you..."

BOOM!

Before Ronan could finish, a blinding explosion of violet light erupted from the pod, spilling metal, ash, and smoke all over the chamber.

* * *

**Now**

Mari was on the ground weeping as she stood amongst her daughter's ashes. Amidst her mourning, Mari eyed a part that had some of its paint scraped off from the explosion. Sniffling, Mari grabbed that part to look at it to see that it was the same part that Mar-Vell given her today. However, this part was painted over to resemble a medium capacity energy emitter. But when Mari examined the part, she realized that this was high capacity energy emitter.

Mari's sorrow turned to rage as she came to realize that it was Mar-Vell that had sabotaged the quantum pod.

Mar-Vell had just murdered her daughter.

Mar-Vell approached her grieving mentor with an arm outreached to try to comfort her. Guilt gripped her heart as she realized the consequences of her actions. She spoke out, "Mari... I'm so sor..."

Mar-Vell was interrupted by right hook to the cheek, which knocked the woman on her back. Before she can get up, Mari was on top of her, pinning the traitor as she glared at her with eyes consumed by red hot rage.

Mari wrapped her hands around Mar-Vell's neck and squeezed, strangling the traitor. She spat, "You murdered my baby!"

"I... I'm... so... ry," Mar-Vell choked as she struggled to breath.

Fortunately for her, Ronan stepped in and ordered one of his Accusers. "Tear those two apart!"

The Accuser nodded as he moved in and grabbed Mari by the shoulders. He had to pull Mari-Ell away from Mar-Vell, which was difficult considering the latter struggled to break free and continue trying to kill her daughter's murderer. But after a few seconds of yelling and flailing, Mari simply broke down and wailed as she processed the full depth of what she lost today.

Ronan ignored the grieving woman as he asked aloud, "What happened here?!"

Talos wandered around the chamber and spotted the sabotaged part Mar-Vell placed. He picked up the part and presented it to Ronan.

"Sir! Sabotage!"

Ronan grabbed the part out from his soldier and saw that it was clearly painted over and tampered with. He hummed, "I see... so your claim is true."

Talos added, "Mari-Ell must have sabotaged the pod! She is one of the few who would've had access to it!"

Ronan muttered, "And you did vocally express your opposition to the new direction of the project..."

"Lies!", Mari shouted as she ripped herself off of the Accuser holding her, "I'm no traitor! And I would never do anything to hurt my daughter!"

"But you didn't know that we've chosen Vanee-Gast as our test subject didn't you?", Ronan answered back, "You had the means and a motive, doctor. This does not help you case."

Talos looked at Mar-Vell and subtly motioned her to 'do it'. Mar-Vell hesitated. That was supposed to be a last resort, a terrible deed only meant if things had gone horribly wrong with the plan. But then again, the plan has gone wrong has it? As much as Mar-Vell respected Mari-Ell, she needed to do this for the cause.

"I hope you can forgive me after all is said and done," Mar-Vell whispered to herself before getting up and announcing, "I have proof of Mari-Ell's duplicity!"

All eyes were on Mar-Vell as she picked up a recording device from her lab coat and played a heavily altered version of her conversation she had with Mari a couple days ago.

_"I'm disgusted that my superiors have turned my gene therapy treatment into a weapon! I'm dreading the lives we might lose through this damn process or the lives that will be lost when the empire unleashes these soldiers into the universe! I won't let this haunt me. I won't let this happen!"_

"Where did you find that?", Ronan asked.

"In... in Mari-Ell's personal study. Part of her secret journal...", Mar-Vell lied.

At this point, Mari is fuming with rage as she stomped over towards her former friend to push her into the wall, choking her once again.

"You lie!", she shouted. Before she could break Mar-Vell's neck, the two unnamed Accusers forcefully grabbed her arms and restrained them behind her back. "What are you doing?!"

Ronan responded. "Mari-Ell you stand accused of crimes against the Kree Empire. At this very moment, I hereby announce your title and your privileges as a citizen to be null and void. You shall be placed into a holding cell for your trial. A military tribunal shall decide your fate."

Mari struggled to break free from the Accusers' grip as they led her away from the chamber with Talos following closely behind them. As they did, Mari-Ell shouted, "You can't do this to me! I'm not the traitor! I've been set up! I'd never hurt my little girl! You have to believe me!"

Mar-Vell eyed her former mentor sadly as she rubbed the blue marks on her neck. "What have I done?", Mar-Vell thought, "This is... this is all my fault!"

Ronan approached her. "While I admire the loyalty you have displayed, I must admit your evidence was most... fortuitous. Tell me, why did you wait until now to report Mari-Ell's treachery?"

Mar-Vell swallowed nervously and responded, "I... I didn't know about the full scope of her plans until today. I wish I did so earlier... maybe I could've saved Vanee-Gast..."

"It's always a shame when a former champion of the empire proved to be such a disappointment. I suppose it is a small mercy that Vanee-Gast didn't live to bear the shame of having two disloyal parents."

"I guess so..."

Ronan patted Mar-Vell in the back. "You've done good work today, doctor. You may retire for the rest of the day."

"Thank you, sir...", Mar-Vell looked down in shame as Ronan and the rest of the assembled Kree left the chamber, leaving the scientist alone with her thoughts.

"The mission... it was a success. The Kree won't be able to create their army once I digitally scrubbed our notes and destroy the equipment. But was the cost worth it? Vanee died because of me, and Mari... I wish I could go back and do things differently! I wish I didn't have to ruin my friendship with Mari-Ell to complete my mission! I doubt Mari would ever forgive me for what I've done... and I doubt I can even forgive myself..."

Mar-Vell took a deep breath before putting on a determined face and storming out the chamber.

"No matter what happens today, I will save Mari-Ell! It's the least I could do after what I took from her..."

* * *

**Quantum Realm**

**Earth Year: ?**

Vanee opened her eye to see thar she was in a colorful, weightless space. All around her were shapes and energy that ebb and flow, sparkle and dim, and solidify and disintegrate without a clear reason or pattern. This energy came in colors from all over the rainbow and colors that Vanee never even seen before or even comprehend!

It was a beautiful sight, and the weightless space she found herself in was so relaxing. It made her feel like she should lay around all day and gaze at the pretty colors as they lull her to a calm sleep. In fact, she might just do that now...

_"My love..."_

"Minn-Erva?", Vanee gasped as she opened her eye wide.

_"My little Voyager..."_

"Mom?!", Vanee shouted as she tried to move at towards the source of the voice only to find her entire body was seemingly paralyzed somehow, "What the... I can't... move!"

_"Does Daddy's little girl wanna give up? Hehehe..."_

"Gla-Ree's here too?!", Vanee growled as she tried her hardest to move her body through sheer force of will, "I dare you to say that in my face! I'll kick your arse!"

_"Vanee... come back to me..."_

"Minn-Erva! I'm... I'm coming. I just... I can't move!"

_"I'm sorry I'm not the mother you wanted..."_

"Mom...", Vanee whimpered almost in tears, "Damn it! Why can't I move?!"

It was at that moment, a dismembered arm came directly into view. It wasn't bloody like it's been cut off. Instead, it was pinched off at the elbow, revealing a slump of blue flesh as if it's been cut from clay. Once Vanee gave the arm a hard look, she was horrified to see that the arm had belonged to her.

"Impossible..."

_"Nothing is impossible, child...",_ the Supreme Intelligence said with Mari-Ell's voice.

Then, more and more of Vanee's body parts came into view, floating as if they were moving along ocean waves. Her torso had been cut up into four different pieces, her legs into three pieces each, and her arms in two pieces each with her fingers in a dozen bits. The beautiful colors of the void suddenly turned into a sinister black and blood red as Vanee fully realized what she was seeing.

"This can't be happening!", Vanee shook her head in denial as she tried to force her neck to bend down to see it attached to the rest of her body only for her head to rotate on its own axis in the void. Once Vanee's head had slowed down and her nausea passed, she focused ahead to find another blue mass.

The upper right quarter of her head with her own eye staring back as if it belonged to someone else. Or something...

_"Welcome to my world, hehehe,"_ Gla-Ree mocked.

Vanee's head trembled as she realized the horror of what's become of her. As she looked into her eye with dread, all the poor girl could do was scream into the void, where no one could hear her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that cheerful image, we end this chapter.
> 
> Yeah, a big chunk of this chapter is basically a warped version of Captain America's origin if the Captain underwent a Nazi super soldier program and the Allies were the ones who sabotaged the experiment. It was fun doing this kind of cracked mirrored storytelling.
> 
> Before we depart, I will say that I'll be taking a break from this fic for a bit. Considering we just made a significant development in the story with Mari-Ell starting her journey away from the Kree and Vanee in the Quantum Realm, I decided to leave it hanging for a bit while working to expand the universe that the fic is set in. In order words, I wanna make a series surrounding my version of the MCU with multiple stories, some big and some small, in it.
> 
> Is this premature? Maybe, but I already made some plans and am eager execute some of them in a schedule. I already have a fun mini-series in mind. After publishing that first chapter, I plan to add to this story and then back to that story.
> 
> So until then, thank you for the read and have a nice day!


	4. The Origin Story of Marie Danvers: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mari-Ell is being transported to Hala's capital to be judged for her "crimes". A chance encounter, however, would come to change her life forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One tiny little edit. I debated internally whether or not I should give Vanee-Gast a British accent. After some time, I ultimately decided for that creative choice as it will contribute to a plot beat in the future. Specifically, Vanee will have an accent that resembles a Welsh accent (the actress, Eve Myles, and her work as Merrill in Dragon Age 2 was my inspiration for this choice). Her mother will also share that accent, but she will adopt an American accent once she settles down to life on Earth.
> 
> Also, I edited out the references to the Janet Van Dyne. Instead, the person who is pulling the strings from the shadows is a mysterious figure with azure eyes. They'll be important in the future.
> 
> Now on with the show.

The ride from Project Voyager to the capital city was long and lonesome, especially if you have to spend that ride in the back of a Kree armored hover carrier (AHC).

Mari-Ell was sitting on a bench in one of these AHCs with her hands bound behind her back and flanked by uncaring Accusers holding aloft their Universal Weapons. Mari just sat on her seat, despondent with her eyes red and her cheeks stained by dried tears.

She wasn't crying anymore. She had no more tears to shed for her dead daughter. She didn't have the energy anymore.

Mari just sat there and accepted her fate. If her judges have any mercy in their hearts, they would condemn the grieving woman to death so that she could be with her family once more.

Accuser Huran was sitting in the next to her. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he spoke, "I get the feeling that you're mad at me. You're mad at me, aren't you?"

"Leave me be...", Mari muttered weakly.

"I know that you're probably pissed at me for ratting you out for sabotage and all, but it was really nothing personal. I was just doing my job. I didn't want you to be locked up, but shit happens sometimes while you're on duty, you know?"

"Please stop talking..."

"I'm just saying. What I did wasn't out of malice, and you seem like a nice lady despite your nasty habit of throat cutting. So I hope as we go through this arduous journey together, you'll find it in your beautiful blue heart to forgive little old me. Preferably without slitting my throat."

"I'll be sure to think about that as my head gets chopped off from my shoulders."

One of the Accusers across the bench said to them, "No fraternizing with the prisoner."

Seeing as how his attempt to lighten the mood has been foiled by the eternally dour Kree Accusers and the depressed scientist he was talking to, Huran leaned back and grumbled to himself, "You lot are no fun..."

BOOM!

An explosion sounded outside the confines of the armored transport. The driver was forced to put the vehicle into a complete and sudden stop, almost jerking her passengers off their seats.

One of the nameless Accusers picked up her communicator and yelled out, "What the hell is going on out there?!"

A soldier answered back panicked. "We're under attack! Skrulls have opened fire on the convoy! I repeat! Skrulls... agh!"

The line went dead.

"Skrulls? Here in Hala?", the Accuser growled before turning to her troops, "We're under attack by Skrulls! They must be after the prisoner!"

"Oh, so a saboteur and a race traitor. You're definitely going to get the axe!", Huran joked.

Mari groaned. Normally she would plead her innocence, but she was already charged with treason. What's one more capital offense to a dead woman walking?

The Accuser pointed at Huran and one more Accuser. "You two! Guard the prisoner! The rest of you, with me!"

The Accuser squad leader jumped out of the back of the AHC, fearlessly leading the troops behind her as they threw themselves into the fire. They closed the door behind them, leaving Huran and Mari-Ell alone with one other Accuser.

The Accuser, a young lad who had just got out of training, looked at Mari-Ell with hatred in his eyes as he spat, "Are you even Kree, traitor? How do we know you're not just another Skrull parasite looking to sabotage our great empire from within?"

Huran responded with as calm a tone as he could muster. "I think you should dial down your hate mongering, mate. Doing a witch hunt now won't solve matters."

"Why would the Skrulls risk attacking us on Hala if not for one of their high-ranking saboteurs?! We need to kill her now before it's too late!"

"Just calm down, buddy. Why not we give Doctor Mari-Ell the chance to explain herself? I'm sure she has a perfectly reasonable, Skrull-free explanation to why she committed treason. Now don't you, Mari?"

Mari-Ell took a deep breath and responded, "I'm a captain in the Skrull navy. I took this assignment to pay the empire back for Satriani."

Huran smiled and looked back at the young Accuser. "See? She came here to avenge her brothers and sisters on... wait, what?"

"I knew it!"

The Accuser ran up to Mari-Ell with his giant hammer held high. Mari-Ell closed her eyes to accept her fate, but then she heard two laser shots, dying gurgling, and then a loud thud. When Mari-Ell opened her eyes, she saw that her attacker lied dead on the ground with two burning holes in his chest. She looked across from her to see Huran with a laser pistol out, which was smoking out the barrel.

Mari looked at him in shock. "You... you killed him!"

"Of course I bloody did!", Huran grumbled as he holstered his pistol and got up from his seat, "And a captain of the Skrull navy? Seriously? Skrull captains lead ships. We send out specialized agents for high-level infiltration. There's more to it than just changing your face, you know!"

"We?"

"Shouldn't it be obvious by now? I'm a Skrull," Huran said before changing back to his natural green skin, "The name's Talos. I'd be more polite, but we're kinda on the clock here, so..."

Talos pulled out his communicator. "I've secured Mari-Ell, but there's too much fire outside! Send someone to man our AHC as soon as possible."

_"Yes Commander!"_

He looked at Mari-Ell and said, "I know you have a lot questions..."

Mari glared at him. "You people sabotaged the pod... murdered my daughter! Then you framed me for treason! You did this, didn't you?!"

Talos looked down and sighed. "We never intended to kill your daughter, doctor. We only wanted to stop Project Voyager and protect our people. That's the truth."

"Like hell will I believe the words of a lying shapeshifter!"

It was at that point that the transport started to move again.

Talos turned to his communicator again and said, "Please tell me one of our own is driving the transport."

_"Sorry commander! We were under heavy fire. It was too dangerous to make a charge, so we had to let your transport go."_

"No worries. I'll just do this myself," Talos said as he put his communicator away. He then walked over to a locker and unlocked using the memories of his previous form. He pulled out a jetpack and strapped it firmly behind him. He turned back to his Kree form and looked at Mari, saying, "I promise that I'll make this right when we head back to base."

"Like I want anything from the likes of you."

Talos sighed as he opened the back doors of the transport. He looked back at Mari one last time. "I am truly sorry about what happened to your daughter."

Talos then jumped out the transport and flew over to the front of the AHC. He commandeered the vehicle from its Kree driver after shooting her in the head and tossing the body. He then diverted the transport away from the main convoy and lost his pursuers in the mountains.

Mari slumped into her seat. She didn't care that she was being kidnapped by a Skrull. It's just exchanging one cage for another.

It's not like she had anything left to lose anymore...

* * *

An hour of driving later, the AHC came to a complete stop. Talos parked the vehicle inside an improvised garage within an abandoned temple, which once belonged to an ancient kingdom ruled by both Kree and the Cotati, a race of sentient plants who were exterminated when Hala was united under the Supreme Intelligence. They were the first race to suffer from the Kree's warmongering, unfortunately.

Talos stepped out of the vehicle and waved to his comrades who had just returned from the raid. He walked over to the back of the AHC and opened the door to find Mari-Ell exactly how he left her.

"Come on," Talos said gesturing to her. Mari glared at him for a second before resuming her brooding posture. He sighed, "Seriously, mate. Do I have to make you follow at gunpoint?"

"I wouldn't come with you then," Mari said sadly, "I'd rather you shoot me."

"I saved you from your own execution. What more do I have to do to get you trust me? Don't tell me you still believe the propaganda of the empire that abandoned you and perverted your work."

"I don't see any reason why I should think otherwise," she scowled, "You people ruined my life."

Talos sighed. "I told you. We didn't mean to kill..."

"It doesn't matter if you meant it or not!", Mari snapped as tears began streaming from her eyes, "You stole her from me! My baby girl... she wanted to be a champion like I was when she grew up, and you bastards killed her! She was only 15... she was the only family I have left... you robbed me of the one thing that I loved more than anything. Do you have any idea of what it's like to outlive your own children?!"

Mari broke down in tears. As she sobbed, Talos looked upon her with the most sympathetic eyes.

He stepped inside the vehicle and sat next to her. Taking a deep breath, Talos told Mari, "I never had the privilege of having children. I never really found the time. Too married to the job, I guess. But I did have a sister and her husband. They had two sons, Dorrek and Dezan. Their parents were in the military, you see, so I had to be there for them when they were away. I told them some of my old war stories, taught them how shapeshift, and in return, they'd piss me off with their pranks. Hehehe. I know it's not the same as parenthood, but those two boys were the closest thing I ever got to sons."

Mari wiped away her tears and asked, "What happened to them?"

"They grew up. They took to my example and enlisted. To my unit, no less," Talos said as nostalgia filled his eyes, "They were so enthusiastic for the cause. So full of energy. They wanted so much to be like me. A champion, you might say."

"They died, didn't they?"

Talos nodded sadly. "We fought in the Battle of Satriani. I lost Dorrek when we tried to break the Kree blockade around the capital city. And Dezan died trying to liberate an internment camp. They both died in vain... because of me. They were placed under my command, and I failed them both. I couldn't even save their parents when we finally retreated. Some champion I turned out to be, huh?"

Talos sighed. He pulled out a canteen from his pocket and took a sip.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Talos took another sip and put away his canteen. "Your daughter... what we allowed to happen was unforgivable. I understand your anger. Your grief. I know I wouldn't pardon my nephews' killers so easily. I don't expect you to forgive us for what we did, but we truly want to make amends. Will you at least hear what we have to say?"

Mari glared at Talos for a minute. She looked into his eyes as Mari tried to gauge how trustworthy this Skrull is. After some internal debate, Mari sighed and said, "Fine."

Talos smiled and stood up from his seat. "Let me get those cuffs off you."

Mari stood up as Talos undid the lock in her cuffs, freeing her hands. She followed Talos inside the temple, where she is greeted by the mistrustful stares of his Skrull comrades. Mari paid them no mind, of course, as she focused on following Talos through these ancient sandstone walls to what she presumes is the Skrulls' command center.

Once she entered that chamber with Talos, Mari saw a hub of activity with advanced equipment and computers everywhere within what she presumed to be a chapel. It's amazing that the Skrulls were able to make such an efficient base of operations out of such a primitive dwelling.

Mari-Ell then scowled as she gazed upon a nearby galaxy map projector. There were two figures standing next to it. One of them was a Skrull man. He was over six feet tall and built like a tank. To complement his bulk, he wore a form-fitting blue and yellow uniform with no sleeves to show off his muscular arms. That Skrull looked like a beast, but it was the woman he was talking to that drew Mari-Ell's eye.

She was a familiar looking brunette wearing a black domino mask and a full-body set of combat armor with a yellow lightning bolt emblazoned on her chest. Although the mask threw her off at first, Mari-Ell recognized who that woman was.

Mar-Vell.

She was currently in the middle of a conversation with the taller man. "I'll be leaving Hala soon, Rl'nnd. After shutting down Project Voyager, I'm pretty sure that my cover here has been blown."

The Skrull, Rl'nnd, looked down at the shorter woman and caressed her cheek. "Will you be rejoining the fleet with me?"

Mar-Vell sighed wistfully. "I wish I could, my love, but I am needed elsewhere. I managed to steal the schematics for the Lightspeed Engine off the labs' computers before deleting them. We need to get started with Operation Exodus as soon as possible."

"How long are you going to be away?"

"Years probably. The technology of the planet that I have chosen is primitive, but its remote location should help keep our families safe from Kree eyes. I wish I could tell you where, but I need to keep the circle as small as possible."

Rl'nnd withdrew his hand and sighed. "Years without you by my side..."

Mar-Vell looked at Rl'nnd with longing present in her eyes as she placed a hand on his chest and leaned closer. "This won't be the last time we see each other. We will be together again one day. I promise."

"I hope so," Rl'nnd murmured breathlessly before embracing Mar-Vell and leaning in for a kiss. Once the two separated, Rl'nnd looked into her beautiful blue eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too. Always," Mar-Vell said smiling back.

"Ahem," the two turned to see a noticeably pissed off Mari-Ell with Talos by her side. She told Mar-Vell, "I'm guessing you have more than just subversive thoughts, huh Mar-Vell?"

Mar-Vell pulled away from Rl'nnd as she looked away from her friend's glare in shame.

Rl'nnd stepped forward with a smile and an awkward laugh as he offered a hand to his new guest. "You must be Doctor Mari-Ell. Mar-Vell told us a lot about you. It's an honor to finally meet you."

Mari shook Rl'nnd's hand, more out of courtesy than respect, before asking, "I was told your people want to make amends with me after you murdered my daughter."

Rl'nnd's smile dropped. "I'm sorry for your loss, but don't blame my wife for it. She was only doing what she was ordered to do. If we had known that your daughter would be Project Voyager's first test subject, we would've done something different."

"Your wife?"

Mar-Vell shuffled nervously as she pulled showed off a wood and pearl Skrull wedding band on one of her fingers.

Mari narrowed her eyes at her. "You've kept a lot of secrets from me, old friend."

Talos chimed in. "I'm guessing this is a conversation you two wish to have in private."

"That's probably for the best," Mar-Vell said before removing her mask and looking at her former friend, "Follow me."

Reluctantly, Mari followed Mar-Vell into another hallway out the command center. Talos walked over next to his brother, who said, "Was that as awkward for you as it was for me?"

"I could cut the tension with a knife!", Talos exclaimed.

* * *

Back with Mari-Ell and Mar-Vell, the two Kree women were walking through the halls, passing through both Skrull warriors and civilians.

Mari-Ell glared at Mar-Vell and asked, "Are you even a Kree?"

Mar-Vell chuckled. "Believe it or not, you don't have to be shapeshifter to sympathize with the Skrulls. I'm Kree like you, Mari."

"Then how did a Kree scientist end up working for the Skrulls as a spy?"

"Satriani," Mar-Vell said with a sigh, "What I told you about what I've seen in Satriani was true. When I arrived there, I grew to be disillusioned by our empire's warmongering ways. I mean, the military personnel there were enslaving and slaughtering  _children!_ No good cause needs that extreme."

"So you decided to defect to the Skrulls instead? Do you have any idea of what your new friends have been up to? They sabotage whole planets from within! They want their green fingers all over our places of power so that they could control us in secret! At least our people are open with their intentions when they subjugate a planet."

"That's just Kree propaganda, Mari! The Skrulls are nothing like that! They're refugees, not conquerors! They have been ever since the empire reduced their homeworld to ash! The Kree Empire is the true aggressor in this war. Everything the Skrulls have done was for the preservation of their people."

"Is that what your new friends have been telling you," Mari asked doubtfully.

"It's what I know in my heart," Mar-Vell responded softly, "Satriani opened my eyes to that. It's where I met my Rl'nnd. He... he saved me."

"Saved you?"

"During the expedition, our transport broke down in the middle of a desert. We were out of range of any communication signals and many klicks away from civilization. We had little food and water, so my team turned on each other. I was thrown into a ravine, and I would've died if it wasn't for Rl'nnd and his unit. They took me in, nursed my wounds. They even shared some of their food and water. They told me the truth about this war, and in return, I smuggled them off-planet. I haven't regretted that decision ever since."

"They could've just been using you. I mean, look at yourself Mar. They turned you into a traitor. They could've just been saying what they wanted you to hear."

"The time I spent with the Skrull Resistance hasn't made me doubt their words."

Mari shook her head dismissively. "If you're trying to make me turn traitor, then you're wasting your time. These bastards got my daughter killed, Mar-Vell. How good can their cause possibly be?"

"I'm not trying to make you do anything, Mari. Least of all join our cause."

"Then why did you free me?"

"We already told you. We want to make amends... for Vanee," Mar-Vell explained, "We've been using this base to smuggle prisoners and slaves of all races out of Kree space through commercial freighters. You can board one of them to get away from the empire. To start over."

"Nice offer," Mari scoffed, "What's the catch?"

"There's no catch, Mari. We... I want to make up for what I did to Vanee. I want to help you."

"And why should I trust the word of a woman who betrayed her own people? Her friends?"

Mar-Vell then stopped in front of a closed door. She turned to Mari-Ell and said, "Through here, please."

Mar-Vell stepped through the door. Mari hesitantly followed her and found herself inside a nursery with over a dozen cribs carrying sleeping Skrull infants.

"You guys run a daycare in here?", Mari remarked.

"We have to keep our babies somewhere," Mar-Vell said as she led Mari to a specific crib, "Here we are. Come take a look."

Mari stepped forward to see a green baby no more than three months old. Unlike the other babies in the nursery, the baby's ears were round instead of pointed and her ridged chin was not as pronounced. Mar-Vell looked down fondly at the child and gently picked her up in her arms.

As the baby snuggled up in her embrace, Mar-Vell explained, "Her name is Anelle, and she's my daughter."

"Daughter?"

Mar-Vell nodded. "I was unsure about her at first. About having a baby I mean. After all, how can I raise a kid and fight a war at the same time. But when I saw this little bundle of joy for the first time, all I wanted to do was protect her from anyone who would want to hurt her," Mar-Vell's eyes began to water, "What kind of person would ever take a mother's child away from them? If I'd only known sooner..."

Mari could see the pain in Mar-Vell's eyes. The guilt she was feeling right now. As she looked down at her baby, Mar-Vell imagined how she would feel if someone had taken her daughter away from her. At that moment, Mari realized the inner turmoil Mar-Vell had been going through for getting Vanee killed.

Mari stepped forward and asked, "May I hold her?"

Mar-Vell looked at Mari and wiped away her tears with one arm. "I... yes. Be my guest."

She carefully handed her baby to Mari-Ell. Even though it's been a long time since Mari held a baby in her arms, she held Anelle gently and with almost practiced ease. Mari cradled the child in her arms and cooed at her, "Hi there, little girl. How are you?"

As she watched Mari hold her child, Mar-Vell choked out, "I'm sorry about Vanee. I know I don't deserve forgiveness for what I've done, but I just want to make things right for you. I owe you both that much."

Mari sighed. "I don't think there's anything you could do to 'make this right'. I lost my family and my home, Mar. How am I supposed to move on after that?"

"You can always start over somewhere else. Be the person you want to be, not what others tell you. There's a ship arriving tomorrow. It is bound to leave for Xandar. Will you be boarding it?"

Mari sighed and gently placed the sleeping Anelle in her crib before placing a kiss on her forehead. She looked at Mar-Vell and said, "I'll think about it."

* * *

**The Next Day**

A Kree analyst entered Ronan the Accuser's office in the Accuser Corps Headquarters in Hala's capital. The analyst held a tablet in her chest as she addressed the perpetually grim Kree enforcer.

"Sir. You wanted a follow up from Mari-Ell's escape yesterday?"

Ronan stood up from his desk. "Indeed. Where have the Skrulls taken her?"

The analyst looked at her tablet and tapped on an interactive map to put it on display. As she swiped across the screen, the analyst explained, "We've extrapolated the trail of the stolen transport to an area in the old Cotati ruins."

"What business do those conniving, green shapeshifters have with those worthless structures?"

The analyst held up her tablet for Ronan to see. "We sent out scouts to investigate the area. They have proof that the Skrulls have used the old temples there as a staging ground. I believe that it is the center of a major smuggling operation."

"Smuggling?", Ronan raised his brow before having an epiphany, "Ah yes... the rumored Railway Network. The Skrulls must have been using the Cotati temples to smuggle their kind out of Hala. I also assume that it was these particular Skrulls who sent the saboteurs who destroyed Project Voyager."

"That is certainly a possibility," the analyst said as she put away her tablet.

Ronan smirked and picked up his Universal Weapon. "Send word to the rest of the Accuser Corps and to any other forces we could spare. We shall wipe out the Skrull infestation in our homeworld as soon as we are assembled!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... done!
> 
> A little shorter than usual, but I am essentially splitting this arc into two to three chapters to quicken my publishing time. Might as well, because it would make this chapter over 10,000 words long and I want to publish some one-shots ASAP.
> 
> Speaking of this arc, the next chapter or two will focus on Mari-Ell as she makes her exodus to Earth. While it is a shame that the title character of this story will be absent for a bit, at least it gives us the opportunity to see Carol's mom kick ass and develop as a character. And besides, Vanee is busy being dead and stuck in the quantum afterlife to do much for the moment (lol).
> 
> Anyway, thank you for the read and have a nice day.


	5. The Origin Story of Marie Danvers: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Kree are closing in on the Skrulls! Mari-Ell is forced to confront the sins of her people as she accompanies the Skrulls in their exodus. As the stakes get higher, will the former champion have to make the ultimate sacrifice to keep the refugees safe? Will she even be willing to?

It was early morning in the Skrull hideout. Mar-Vell has just got out of bed and was making the rounds as per protocol. When her morning duties were finished, she walked back to the living quarters in order to check up on Mari-Ell.

As a non-member of the Skrull Resistance, Mari wasn't under any obligation to perform the same duties as Mar-Vell and her comrades. However, Mar-Vell hasn't seen Mari all morning, and she never knew her former mentor to wake up late. It was a habit of hers that she developed during her days in the military. Even during her days off, Mari's habit of waking up extra early acts up due to her carefully kept internal clock.

This break in the norm had Mar-Vell concerned, so she wanted to make sure her friend was alright.

Once Mar-Vell entered the room, however, her nose gets hit by the strong stench of alcohol. "Damn... it smells like a brewery in here," Mar-Vell said cringing as she continued to walk into the room.

Mar-Vell walked through piles of bottles laying all over the floor until she came across Mari-Ell's bed... and the  _two people_ laying on top of it.

Specifically, she sees Mari-Ell in bed with a Skrull woman spooning over her as they slept. As neither woman was wearing any clothes, Mar-Vell had a general idea of what happened last night. With an amused smile on her face, Mar-Vell kicked the bed, stirring both women from their slumber.

She said to them, "Had fun last night?"

The Skrull woman grew flustered and hid behind Mari. Mari-Ell, however, simply rolled her eyes and said, "What's it to you?"

Mar-Vell chuckled as she pointed outside the door. "I wanted to talk with you, Mari. I'll wait outside until you're decent."

Mar-Vell walked out and closed the door behind her. A few minutes after that, the Skrull woman Mari was sleeping with ran out of the room with an embarrassed blush on her cheeks.

Mar-Vell called to her friend. "Can I come in."

"Whatever."

Mar-Vell took that as an invitation and returned to the room, where she fortunately saw Mari-Ell wearing a shirt and a pair of pants.

"So... are we going to talk about... you know...", Mar-Vell pointed awkwardly to the door.

"What? I can't just have a casual shag with anyone anymore?", Mari scoffed.

Mar-Vell stuttered, "Well... it's just that... it's not exactly a... Kree thing. You know?"

"And treason and having a kid with a Skrull is a 'Kree thing'?"

Mar-Vell sighed. "True enough. You have been through a lot yesterday. I suppose casual sex and drinking is a fair enough response to grief."

"Now you just made it awkward," Mari said as she grabbed a half-empty bottle from the floor and proceeded to drink again.

Once Mari finished the bottle, she lazily threw the bottle aside and slumped into her seat.

Mar-Vell finally told her, "That ship I mentioned yesterday just arrived. It'll start boarding in an hour or so. Are you going to be there?"

Mari sighed. "Probably... I don't know. I want to start over. I want a life outside the empire and its wars. I just... I can't imagine that life without my daughter. Without Vanee. I could start another family with someone else, sure. But... I'm pretty sure it won't be the same. And I don't think I want to..."

Mar-Vell looked down on Mari with pity as she took a seat next to her. "I'm sorry."

Mari's eyes began to water as she placed her hands over her face. "I wish things could go back the way things were. I wish Endwi never left me, and I wish that I can go home to find Vanee chasing brontos (Kree cow-rhinos) with her friends. But I can't... not anymore. Everything I loved has left me... and I don't know how to get over it."

Mar-Vell listened intently and reached over to Mari's shoulder to comfort. "If it helps, we could try to find Endwi for you. Maybe try to help you reconnect with him?"

Mari-Ell shook her head. "He's dead to me now. After abandoning me and Vanee for so long, I no longer want anything to do with him. And the lack of contact made it clear that he wants nothing to do with me either. I don't think he'd even care to know that his daughter is dead..."

"So what do you want to do now?"

Mari shrugged. "I don't know. Drink myself to death in some dingy Xandarian bar?"

"Or...", Mar-Vell said hesitantly, "You could come with me. I'll be leaving Hala soon. I have a science project that I need to do for the Resistance, and I could use your help. It'll be like old times."

Mari scoffed. "I thought you won't try to rope me into your Skrull business."

"I'm not. I promised not to drag you into our war, and I meant it," Mar-Vell said passionately before looking down and continuing more somberly, "But this project... it's about saving lives, not ending them. I'm trying to help find the Skrulls a new homeworld and... I just want to keep my family safe."

Mari looked away.

Was she seriously considering this?

Mar-Vell is a traitor. More than that, she's the one who got her daughter killed and framed her for treason. By all rights, Mari should be telling her to piss off and board that ship out of Kree space.

But at the same time, Mari knew the look on her old protege's eyes. They were determined but they are also scared and a little daunted. Those were the eyes of a woman who is desperate to protect her family. Her daughter.

Mari could sympathize with that notion, but does it really make up for the wrongs Mar-Vell committed against her?

Mari sighed. "Mar... I..."

She was interrupted when a loud alert rang out from Mar-Vell's communicator. She pulled out the device and answered the call.

It was Talos.

_"Mar-Vell! Scouts have reported that a Kree army is slowly approaching the base! Our proximity alerts are showing us over a thousand pings! We need you at the command center! Now!"_

"Copy that," Mar-Vell said before turning to her friend, "I have to go."

"I'm coming with you."

"Mari..."

"None of that!", Mari interrupted, "The Kree are after me too. I'm coming with, whether you like it or not."

Mar-Vell relented with a nod. "If you say so."

The two women then got out of the bed and ran straight out of the room to the command center as soon as possible.

* * *

As soon as the leadership of this Skrull cell have gathered around the main hologram emitter, Talos led the briefing as the emitter projected an overhead view of the temple base with a live feed of Kree forces as scale red figures.

"I say this plainly. The Kree are sending their army to wipe out this base and everyone in it. Their ETA is under two hours. We don't have enough firepower to fight back, so all we can do now is run," Talos then moved his hand to display the tunnel networks running under the temple, "The Kree would most likely shoot down any ship we deploy from our main hangar, so we will have to sheperd the civilians through the underground tunnel networks to the secondary hangars we hid miles away from the base. I have already sent word to prepare the civilians to evacuate into groups of five for each hangar, and teams are being sent to plant bombs on the temple's support structures. Once everyone has boarded the trains in our hidden railway network, we will blow this place sky high, sealing the tunnels in with the rubble."

Mari-Ell objected, "That's great and all, but what's stopping the Kree from bombing this place with us inside it?"

Mar-Vell responded, "Don't worry, Mari. We've been preparing for a situation like this for some time now. The moment we confirmed the Kree's advance, we activated a large-scale kinetic barrier to shield the base. It will take the Kree about a few hours to break through it, and we'll be long gone by then."

"How convenient," Mari remarked.

Talos spoke, "Any other concerns? No? Then it's time we assign the escorts. Kl'rt, you and your squad will be escorting the nurses and the infants through Tunnel A."

Rl'nnd turned to his comrade and told him, "Keep my daughter safe, okay?"

Kl'rt nodded solemnly. "You have my word. I'll protect them all with my life."

Talos continued, "Veranke, Khn'nr- your squads will lead three groups of civilians through Tunnels B and C. I will lead another group through Tunnel D. Rl'nnd, you and Mar-Vell will lead the children through Tunnel E."

Mari asked, "And where will I fit into this grand plan of yours?"

"You're a civilian noncombatant, Mari-Ell. You'll be joining Veranke's group."

"Is that so?", Mari scoffed, "I hate to be forward, but I'm not gonna sit back and play the helpless refugee. I wanna help."

"Help how?", Talos asked raising his brow.

"Give me a weapon and assign me to Mar-Vell's squad," Mari stated plainly, "I rather follow someone I know, and... I don't wanna see any more dead kids."

Lieutenant Veranke shook her head in disagreement. "You should be grateful that we are helping you evacuate at all,  _Kree._ Like hell will we trust an unproven defector with a..."

Talos interrupted by throwing his sheathed vibro-sword for Mari to catch. "Here. There should be a combat suit and some guns in the armory. Help yourself."

"Commander!", Veranke exclaimed.

Talos looked at her and said, "We don't have time to debate, lieutenant. Mari-Ell has proven herself in combat in the Klyntar War, and we need all the help we can get. Mar-Vell and Rl'nnd vouch for her too, so that's enough for me."

Veranke went back to her corner and brooded. "Of course they'd say that..."

Talos shut down the holo map. "If there's nothing else, return to your squads. I've already alerted all the noncombatants to gather near the tunnel entrance. Act swiftly and may the gods watch over you."

With that, the Skrull leadership dispersed. Mar-Vell walked over to Mari and tugged at her sleeve. "Follow me."

Mari nodded and followed Mar-Vell to the armory. Since the warriors have scrambled to pick up their gear when the alert was issued, there was very little equipment left for Mari-Ell to choose from. However, she gathered enough arms and armor to last her through a fight if need be.

Mar-Vell only grabbed a strange looking backpack from the armory. That's probably not gonna be that important.

* * *

An hour later, everyone in the base has been moved through the underground tunnel entrance with the door sealed shut. The civilians and other noncombatants have been divided into their assigned groups and are being herded through the tunnels with their armed escorts.

Mar-Vell and Mari-Ell were leading the group in the front as they guide the children, while Rl'nnd is leading the rearguard.

Mari was now wearing a set of Kree infantry armor scavenged by the Skrulls with the accompanying officer's headdress helmet. It greatly resembled her old army uniform except that it was now colored black and purple to signify the wearer's allegiance. Mari also carried Talos' sword on her back along with a pair of pistols, an energy rifle strapped next to her sword, and a utility belt carrying other essential items, such as grenades.

The gear felt awkward at first. Mari-Ell has never been in a battle in a long time, and she never thought she might have to fight alongside Skrulls. But those concerns will have to be put aside for now.

She had a job that needs to be done.

After several tense minutes of walking, the group reached a full length train on an rusty track. Once they arrived, Mar-Vell and her people opened the doors to allow the children to board first. Once they were all inside, the warriors took their seats with Mar-Vell assigning the designated operator to man the train. When the train started up and began to ride along the tracks, Mar-Vell walked over to where Mari-Ell and her husband were sitting. She put her backpack down and took a seat next to them.

She sighed. "The hard part's over. Once we arrive to the secondary hangar, we can board a freighter and leave this planet."

"Don't tempt fate, love," Rl'nnd joked.

Mari said to Mar-Vell, "The Kree would still be looking for us even after we abandoned the base, so wouldn't they find a group of five ships flying away just as we slipped their grasp a little too suspicious?"

"We've placed the secondary hangars far enough from the base and each other that it won't cause too many suspicions. We also placed them near areas of traffic, so that we could blend in easier with other merchant ships, and we hid the hangars themselves well enough. It's going to be alright."

"My love, I appreciate the optimism, but I don't think you should celebrate so soon," Rl'nnd told her, "We still haven't heard from the demolition squads yet."

Suddenly, a giant boom sounded from over the ground and the entire tunnel shook if slightly.

"You were saying?", Mar-Vell teased, "Now the Kree are blocked out of our tunnels."

Rl'nnd chuckled. "Fair point."

With nothing else to do, the train ride grew to be monotonous as everyone waited anxiously for the ride to end. Sitting around while your enemies are trying to hunt you down tends to mess with one's nerves after all. Thankfully the children seemed to be blissfully unaware of their current predicament.

An hour later, Mari looked across the car to see that the children still have smiles on their faces. The echoes coming out of their car sounded rather relaxed and even cheerful as if they were going on a field trip rather than running for their lives.

Mari-Ell raised her brow in confusion as she turned to Mar-Vell and Rl'nnd, interrupting their conversation as she asked, "The children seemed to be too happy about having to run from the Kree army."

Mar-Vell explained, "We've only told the children that we're moving out of the base to Xandar. Most of them were really excited about it. The base has been rather dark and drab lately. They're probably just excited to start a new life in the Planet of Opportunity."

Mari scoffed. "I wouldn't give Xandar too much credit..."

Rl'nnd countered, "Perhaps, but the Nova Empire is still a nation that welcomes diversity and refugees. It's not perfect, but a Skrull can learn to build a life there. I should know. Me and Talos had a comfortable childhood in the capital city until we joined the Resistance."

"But don't Xandarian corporations oppress other planets through debt? And don't the Novas take our POWs as slaves?"

Rl'nnd chuckled. "You still believe in that rubbish?"

Mar-Vell explained with more tact. "Mari, that's just another lie from the Kree propaganda machine. None of that is real. The Nova Empire has abolished slavery for centuries now, and their economic system... okay, it's a little skewed towards the rich but it's not that bad. At least the nobles don't have a monopoly over everything like ours do back home."

Mari slumped into her seat. "I don't know what to believe anymore. Everything used to be so simple back at the lab..."

Mar-Vell reached out to pat her friend's shoulder. "I get what you're feeling. I felt the same way when I first defected too. The empire used to be the center of universe to me, and to find out everything that I learned as a child were lies was... it was difficult for me to stomach, at first. But eventually, I learned to trust what my eyes and my heart tell me, and they tell me that the rest of the universe isn't as bad as the empire said it was. It's wonderful as it is, warts and all."

"In other words," Rl'nnd chimed in, "Don't believe everything you read."

Mari sighed. "I suppose."

The three were silent for another moment until Mar-Vell asked, "Have you thought about my offer? To help me with that... assignment?"

Mari furrowed her brow and responded, "I have. I'm still thinking."

Rl'nnd playfully nudged her. "As a favor to me, please accept it. With me getting reassigned to the fleet,  _someone_ has to make sure my wife completes her work on time. I rather not have a repeat of the 'drake scale armor' incident."

"That was one time, Rl'nnd!", Mar-Vell objected, "And besides, you can't rush art."

"We spent half a year with substandard armor," Rl'nnd pointed out plainly, "I rather not wait half a decade for you to complete the device because you wanted to take your time with the 'inlays'."

"Inlays are important! We're not savages. After all, it's better to take your time to make the perfect cog..."

"Rather than make an imperfect one on time," Mari completed with a nostalgic smile, "Glad to see you're so dedicated to your craft, Mar."

Mar-Vell smiled at her. "I had a good teacher."

Mari looked down and blushed. Mar-Vell has always been a sort of surrogate daughter to her even after Vanee was born. As the youngest daughter of a lesser noble house, Mar was rather neglected during childhood as her parents focused more on grooming their heir and his spare. That distance drove Mar-Vell away from them as she pursued her true passion in science. That led her to apprentice under a former champion, who she would come to see as the mother she never had.

After all, how else would you describe the woman who dedicated time out of her life to teach you how to be the best possible version of yourself? Not just as a scientist, but also as a person.

Mari turned to Rl'nnd and asked, "So how did you two get together? Mar gave me the gist, but I guessing there's to the story than you saving her life."

Rl'nnd looked to his wife and smiled. Mar-Vell smiled back as she held his hand. He answered, "Well, it all started a year after Mar officially joined the cause. We were in Contraxia on shore leave, and while we were in a bar, she accidentally mentioned how much she liked the look of my bum..."

* * *

Another hour and a half passed before the group arrived at their destination. They were inside of a mostly worn down subway terminal as the warriors exited ahead of the children. Once everyone is out of the train, the warriors told the children to stay put as Mar-Vell, Mari-Ell, and Rl'nnd go off to the side to talk about their next move.

"Why aren't we moving in on the hangar now?", an impatient Mari asked.

Rl'nnd explained, "Protocol says that we need to send someone out to see if the hangar is clear. With the base destroyed, the Kree are probably sending out search parties to look for escapees."

"I thought you said these hangars are supposed to be hidden?"

Mar-Vell spoke up, "It's just a precaution, Mari. We just need to send out a couple guys to check out the surveillance system and give the all clear."

Mari asked, "So who are we going to send?"

Rl'nnd answered, "Mar knows how to work the computers, so I'm going to accompany her. You stay with the rest of the warriors and supervise the kids."

Mari scoffed, "You want me to babysit, eh? Fine, but you better not use this as an opportunity to go off and shag each other."

Mar-Vell chuckled. "You know me better than that, Mari. We'll just check in with the cameras and be out as soon as possible."

Rl'nnd chimed in. "We won't repeat our last mission together, I promise. We learned our lesson."

"You better," Mari muttered as she regretted making small talk with these people. She rather not know that there is a way to crash a Kree warship from the inside by pushing a specific lever in the life support room at the right time. And she  _really_ didn't need to know how those two came across it.

Mar-Vell looked at her husband told him, "Let's go."

* * *

And so, Mari waited with the children and the other warriors... for another hour.

"In and out, eh?", Mari grumbled, "In and out my arse! I knew those two couldn't keep it in their pants! We're in a life-or-death situation, and those idiots thought it would be a good idea to have sex while the Kree are looking for us? Ignorant pissants!"

As Mari continued to fume to herself, one of the children was staring at her apprehensively as she clutched a folded piece of paper in her hands. She clearly wanted to move to see her, but the child was was shaking nervously. She was clearly unsure of her decision. The scary face Mari was making wasn't helping matters.

Eventually, one of her friends whispered to her ear, encouraging her. Gulping, the girl moved forward with a light push from her friend. She approached Mari, one tiny step at a time, as her hands clutched tightly at her piece of paper. Once she was in arm's reach of Mari, the girl took a deep breath and tugged at Mari's sleeve to get her attention.

Mari looked down to see the scared looking Skrull child. She softened her expression and asked, "Yes? What is it?"

She took another deep breath. "You're one of the good Kree... right?"

Upon hearing her innocent voice, Mari-Ell's maternal instincts kicked in. She knelt down to the girl's level and smiled. "I guess you can say that. I'm here to help. My name is Mari, by the way."

"Mari? As in Mari-Ell? The Hero of Virmire?"

Now that's a name Mari hasn't heard in a long time. Confused, she asked, "Yeah... how do you know that?"

"Mar-Vell would tell us stories sometimes when things got too sad. She said you protected people from monsters. Um...", the girl played with her thumbs nervously, "Are there monsters after us?"

Mari sighed. She patted the girl's shoulder and said, "If there are, I'll protect you. I give you my word. Uh..."

"Ry'ah. My name is Ry'ah."

"Ry'ah," Mari nodded, "You'll be safe under my watch, Ry'ah."

Ry'ah brightened her expression for a moment. "Thank you, miss...", she shifted around nervously before offering the piece of paper she was holding, "I wanted ask you to give this to Mar-Vell, but... I think I can trust you."

Mari took the paper and said, "Thanks."

Mari unfolded the paper. She was looking at a child's drawing depicting three Skrulls- the smaller one representing Ry'ah and the two taller ones being her parents presumably. The family was holding hands and had smiles on their childishly drawn faces. There were blue skies, a bright yellow sun, and fields of lime green grass. Off to the side was a group of buildings and hover cars with the the word, "Xandar", written on top of it in messy Skrullish.

Ry'ah asked, "When we get to Xandar, can you send this to my parents?"

"I'll try to find the time. Where are they supposed to be?"

"They're warriors. I haven't seen them since they went to Satriani, but Mar-Vell says they're okay. They just had to go away away for a long time. I just want to let them know that I miss them and... I can't wait to see them again in Xandar when they're done with their mission."

Mari paused. She was shaken when Ry'ah said that her parents "had to go away for a long time". It was a euphemism that Mari used herself to console the children she rescued during the Klyntar War. The children whose parents had died. And if Mar-Vell had told her this, then...

Mari shook her head and regained her smile. She pocketed the picture and told the girl, "I'll make sure this gets to them. I promise."

Ry'ah smiled back. "Thanks," she then turned to leave. Before she left, Ry'ah suddenly turned around and gave Mari a hug.

Mari blushed. As Ry'ah went back to rejoin her friends, Mari stood up and looked down in solemn contemplation.

Thinking back on it now, Mari realized how stupid her prejudice against the Skrulls have been. While she had no doubt that some of them were as bad as the propaganda campaigns made them out to be (war does bring out the worst in people after all), it was unfair for her deem an entire race as evil parasites who sought to maliciously replace her people. After all, the scared little girl in front of her wasn't some shapeshifting monster. She was just a child who wanted to be with her parents again in a new home that wouldn't persecute them for being who they are.

And now Ry'ah is an orphan because of Mari's people.

Mari sighed. "I really was working for the wrong side..."

It was then that Rl'nnd and Mar-Vell returned sweating and out of breath. As the two were panting, Mari crossed her arms and glared at them. "About time. I hope your quickie was worth risking our lives over."

Mar-Vell glared back at Mari. Repulsed, she responded, "What?! No! We were not having sex Mari! Gods, we're more professional than you think!"

"Then what took you so long?"

Rl'nnd answered, "We came across a Kree patrol! They were combing over the station! When we finally managed to get to the surveillance room, we found an entire platoon's worth of Kree warriors out in the hangar! Worst of all, they are led by Ronan the Accuser!"

Mari was taken aback. The worst possible scenario that she could think of when she had first stepped into the train had come true.

Hesitantly, Mari asked, "What are we going to do now?"

Mar-Vell explained. "We took out the squad patrolling the station, but it won't be long until Ronan sends out another squad to investigate. I'm guessing we have a half hour at most until they start going suspicious."

Panicked, Mari asked, "Then what are we going to do? It won't take the Kree long to find us here!"

Rl'nnd turned to his wife and asked, "Do you think we can just disguise ourselves as Kree and just walk out the door? I did see some Starforce cadets with the main force. Maybe the kids can..."

Mar-Vell shook her head. "That would raise too much suspicion even if we took the place of the squad we took out. Ronan isn't stupid. If we exit the train station with a dozen new cadets, our cover will be blown before we can appropriate a transport out of Hala! Besides, not all the children know how to properly shapeshift yet. It's too much of a risk."

Mari chimed in. "Well, we can't just stand around and do nothing!"

"I know!", Mar-Vell barked back as she looked at the ground with a frustrated frown. She picked her mind for a moment or two as she tried to come up with some idea that could get them out of this mess. Eventually, Mar-Vell had the foundations of a halfway decent plan. Not that it was a good plan, but that's all she got. Mar-Vell looked back at her two comrades and said, "I have an idea, but it's very risky. Mari, do you trust me?"

Mari looked at Mar-Vell in the eye. She thought about Ry'ah, and the debt she owed that girl for the wrongs the Kree did to her.

Mari nodded and said, "I do."

* * *

Outside the train station, Ronan the Accuser stood stoically in the Skrull's hidden hangar with his soldiers wandering about the place like the loyal drones they were. The Kree had just locked down the ships in the area, and search parties were sent all around the immediate vicinity to search for Skrulls.

Standing next to Ronan was Starforce Sergeant Yon-Rogg, who is given special dispensation to have his cadets accompany Ronan's forces in a support capacity. Yon-Rogg intends for his students to execute some of the more expendable Skrulls that the soldiers captured as a lesson in ruthlessness.

Approaching the two commanding officers was a low-level grunt. After saluting them, he spoke, "The scouts have returned from their search in the train station."

"Did they find anything?", Ronan asked.

"They couldn't find any Skrulls, sir, but they did managed to detain one prisoner."

As if on cue, four soldiers marched towards Ronan with Mari-Ell walking along between them with her hands bound by high-tech cuffs.

Yon-Rogg widened his eyes in surprise as he looked over to Ronan and asked, "Is that the traitorous scientist who escaped from that transport yesterday?"

"That is Mari-Ell. Yes," Ronan responded. Once Mari stood a few feet away from him, Ronan told her, "You were a hero to the empire once, doctor. You defended our people with honor and distinction. Now look at you. A traitor to your race and a collaborator for the Green Scourge. Your daughter would've been ashamed of you, Mari."

"Don't speak of Vanee, Ronan!", Mari snapped, "You're the one who sent my daughter to her death!"

" _I_ gave Vanee-Gast the chance to overcome her genetic deficiencies and serve the Supreme Intelligence like you once had. It was your Skrulls who sabotaged Project Voyager and robbed her of that chance. Are you really going to side with the monsters who caused her untimely death?"

"Rather them than a self-righteous zealot like you," Mari spat back.

Ronan scowled. "I'm done mincing words with you, traitor. I'll give you only one chance to survive. Where are have the Skrulls gone?"

"Even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you anything," Mari replied, "They are long gone by now, Ronan. I only stayed behind so that I could tell you to go to hell."

"You first," Ronan coldly replied before turning to Yon-Rogg, "It looks like one of your cadets gets to execute a prisoner today."

Sergeant Yon-Rogg nodded and looked to the side at the mass of cadets loitering near the crates. He called out to one of them. "Cadet Minn-Erva! Come here."

Minn-Erva hesitated for a moment after breaking from her conversation with her friend, Att-Lass.

After an encouraging tap on the shoulder from her friend, Minn-Erva walked over to her drill sergeant, who told her, "Pull out your weapon, cadet. Try to kill that traitor with only one shot."

Minn-Erva froze for a brief moment before nodding. She turned to face Mari-Ell as her escorts move over to the side away from her.

As she pulled out her child-sized blaster from her holster, Mari tilted her head on her shoulder, "I know you, right? Your name is... Minn-Erva, yes? You were Vanee's... friend."

Minn-Erva pointed her blaster at Mari. With a shaky voice, she replied, "Please... stop talking..."

"Vanee wouldn't want you to do this, Minn," Mari said, "She wouldn't want you to get your hands dirty like this."

Minn-Erva tried to pull the trigger, but she can't. Her pistol shook as hesitation wracked her every nerve. After all, how could she go along with murdering her late girlfriend's mother in cold blood? Every time Minn-Erva looked into Mari's eyes, all she could see was the love of her life staring back at her.

"What are you waiting for, cadet?", Ronan spoke harshly, "Kill her!"

Yon-Rogg knelt down on her level and whispered, "It's a simple question."

Minn-Erva whispered back as she tried her best to repress the tears burning in the back of her eyes, "I... I can't! I can't kill her mother..."

Yon-Rogg sighed. "Mari-Ell is collaborating with our hated enemy. That enemy killed your friend. This is your one chance to avenge her, Minn-Erva. If you don't take it, someone else will. Trust me, you'll regret not taking that chance for the rest of your life. Think about that."

Yon-Rogg stood back up. Minn-Erva looked back at the firing range. After a moment, she straightened her face and held her weapon firm. Her finger moved on the trigger, but just as it was just contacting it, another pang of hesitation rang out as Minn-Erva looked into Mari's eyes again.

Taking a deep breath, Minn-Erva looked away and closed her eyes.

Mari called out, "Minn-Erv..."

Her sentence was interrupted when a laser bolt hissed through the air out of Minn-Erva's smoking gun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this branch timeline, Mari-Ell dies on Hala. Carol Danvers is never born, so the Skrulls go extinct and the Kree rule the universe.
> 
> Haha! Just kidding!
> 
> Mari does get out of this alive. You just have to wait until the next chapter to see how. Fortunately, that chapter will definitely be the final part of "The Origins of Marie Danvers" arc, so keep your eyes peeled for that folks!
> 
> The trivia is brief this time, so here it is.
> 
> All the Skrulls I used (save Ry'ah) are all canon characters. Look them up if you're curious, you might learn something cool. And for anyone concerned with continuity, I will say that Mar-Vell arrived on Earth first in order to establish herself as a scientist and gain the resources she needs to build the Lightspeed Engine. The Skrull refugees she was looking after during the Captain Marvel movie won't arrive until years later when she sends out a discreet signal to let them know that the engine is nearing completion. By that time, Talos met his wife (who was the same Skrull Mari was having a one night stand with lol) and had a daughter with her. I'll address why this is the case in the next chapter, don't worry.
> 
> That's all for now. Again, thank you all for your continued support, both in this fic and its wider series. Have a nice day!


	6. The Origin Story of Marie Danvers: Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chase concludes in an epic brawl! How will Mari-Ell and friends escape as the might of the Kree Empire comes down on top of them? What sacrifices must be made in order to shepherd the children to safety?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A minor edit, but I went back and fixed something from my last chapter. I forgot that Talos, as the leader of this cell in the Skrull Resistance, should lead his own group out of the base as he has to evacuate too in order to survive to be in the movie.
> 
> It doesn't make sense for him to follow any of his subordinates around, so I removed Z'Cann from the story (I misspelled her name anyway) and I put Talos in her place as he leads a group of civilians out of Tunnel E.
> 
> I'm sorry about this. I'll try not to make more of these mistakes in the future, but I'm only human.

* * *

"Minn-Erv..."

Mari-Ell's sentence was interrupted when a laser bolt hissed through the air out of Minn-Erva's smoking gun.

Minn-Erva opened her eyes hesitantly and turned her head around, expecting and dreading to see the corpse of her late girlfriend's mother. However, her eyes were met by a most unexpected sight.

The cadet's mouth dropped as she saw Mari-Ell still alive. More than that, however, her entire body was covered by a layer of grey metal. There was a burn mark between her eyes where Minn-Erva's shot landed, however, that blemish was the extent of the damage done to her. The Kree in attendance looked on in shock as Mari-Ell stood there in her new form with a cocky smirk forming in her face.

Ronan grumbled, "What... what kind of abomination are you?!"

"Please. I prefer the term...", she started to say before 'Mari-Ell' transformed into Rl'nnd, "Super-Skrull."

Using his superhuman strength, Rl'nnd snapped the cuffs off his wrists like they were made of cheap plastic.

"Open fire!", Ronan yelled. At his command, his soldiers, along with Yon-Rogg and nearby cadets, began firing lasers at Rl'nnd only for his metal skin to deflect most of the damage.

It tickled him more than anything.

Rl'nnd let out a chuckle before his eyes began to glow red. He fired his own laser blast from his eyes, which burned holes into the two unlucky Kree that happened to be on the laser's path, dropping them dead. Rl'nnd then turned his head side-to-side, dragging his laser blast as it burned through crates and shipping containers. Ronan, Yon-Rogg, and a dozen other Kree managed to be quick enough to get down to avoid the laser's arc. The few who didn't were unfortunately carved in half by Rl'nnd's laser, dropping their smoking remains into the cold ground.

"Why didn't we see  _that_ coming?", Yon-Rogg whined. Ronan glared at him for a moment before he and the surviving Kree got back up. His soldiers marched up in front of him, shielding their leader as Rl'nnd's eyes stopped glowing red.

Rl'nnd then let out a guttural roar, a Skrull call to arms that summoned a half dozen of his comrades behind him. Rl'nnd smirked as his brethren shed their Kree disguises and raised their weapons at their enemies.

Three metal claws then popped out of both his knuckles as Rl'nnd let out a bloodthirsty laugh. "Let's bleed 'em dry! For Skrullos!"

With a mighty roar, Rl'nnd charged at the Kree line while his comrades open fired behind him. When the Super-Skrull lunged forward and impaled the nearest Kree soldier with his claws, the Kree began firing back and an intense firefight raged on in front of the train station.

In the chaos, most of the cadets retreated to call for reinforcements and hide until the fighting is over. While the children retreated, more of the Kree soldiers stationed in the hangar rushed in to aid their comrades in beating back the hated Skrulls.

* * *

This was the group's plan all along. While Rl'nnd and the warriors distracted the Kree forces stationed in the hangar, Mari-Ell and Mar-Vell would sneak off and guide the children to their escape ship. If things went well, they should be able to swing around and pick up Rl'nnd's group before flying off to the nearest jump point.

However, there were a few more vital steps to be done before they got to that point.

Unbeknownst to the Kree, Mari-Ell and Mar-Vell, now disguised with Kree colors, were walking through the far side of the cluttered hangar as discretely as they could with a disguised Skrull following behind them inside of a small hover truck. These vehicles were designed to move heavy crates across the hangar, but this truck was being used as an improvised transport to carry the children over to the ship the adults will appropriate.

Mari let go of the communicator piece in her ear as she turned to Mar-Vell and said, "Rl'nnd's cover is blown."

"That lasted a lot longer than I expected," Mar-Vell replied back.

"Can Rl'nnd handle this?", Mari asked slightly concerned, "He's a big guy, but he's severely outnumbered out there."

Mar-Vell shrugged. "I wound worry about it too much. Rl'nnd is a Super-Skrull."

"Wait, Super-Skrulls are real? I always thought that they were just stories spun by shellshocked soldiers."

"They are very much real, Mari. The Skulls have developed a gene therapy that allows them to graft the DNA of dead Celestials to some of their soldiers, granting them extraordinary powers. Rl'nnd happens to be one of the first successes of that program."

"If they're that powerful, how come the Resistance haven't made more Super-Skrulls?"

"Celestial DNA is hard to come by, and the procedure has a high mortality rate. We only have about a hundred Super-Skrulls in the entire Resistance. We're currently working to solve that. The cultivation of the mutant X-Gene seems be the most viable alternative to Celestial DNA grafting so far."

Mari shook her head. "Yes, because nothing bad ever came out of toying with genetic mutations. While you're at it, why not try radiation as another source of Super-Skrulls?"

"Sarcasm is beneath you, Mari."

As the group continued walking towards the nearest ship, they were met by three Kree soldiers, who were definitely not in on the plan. The Accuser leading them looked at Mari and Mar with suspicion as he held out his hand and ordered the group to stop.

The two women tensed up when the Accuser looked at the shoulder crests on the two women and said, "Where are you lot going? The battle is over there. Ronan ordered our squad to help exterminate the Skrull scum attacking us."

Mar-Vell cleared her throat as she told him, "We were given special orders, Lord Accuser. We are to transport these crates full of... Anulax batteries to a more... secure location."

"Anulax batteries?", the Accuser said doubtfully, "What are Anulax batteries doing in a Skrull base?"

Mar-Vell shrugged as casually as possible. She nervously said, "Well, you know... these Skrulls... they're not sending their best to our great homeworld of ours. They're sending in criminals, thieves, and rapists over, so they probably just stole theses batteries from the Sovereign. You know how it is with these people."

The Skrull driver glared at Mar-Vell, which she responded with a quick apologetic look. She's gonna have to apologize to him and Rl'nnd for that dreadful speech. Her baby too. And take a long shower, just in case.

"Uh huh. If it's all the same, I need to confirm this with Ronan," the Accuser said as he reached for his communicator.

Mar-Vell, panicked, said, "Is that... is that really necessary? I mean, Ronan is busy fighting off the Skrull invaders! I don't think he has time to..."

"It's standard protocol. You should know that by now, soldier."

As the Accuser entered Ronan's frequency number, Mari-Ell gripped her blaster rifle hard and was about to fire her weapon. However, Mar-Vell quickly shot her a quick glare, making her stop, as she spoke aloud, "I don't think that's necessary. I have a... letter confirming his order. With his official seal and everything."

The Accuser stopped himself from pressing enter and looked up at Mar-Vell. "A letter?"

"Yes," she said hurriedly as she took her backpack off and laid it on the ground, "It should be... here!"

Mar-Vell then pulled something out of the bag that definitely is not an official military message. It was a cat with orange fur and adorably cute green eyes.

As it meowed, the Accuser asked, "I'm confused. What are you trying to..."

The soldier next to him was quicker to react. With widened eyes, she shouted, "It's a flerken!"

"Goose now!", Mar-Vell yelled, prompting the flerken in her hands to opened its monstrous mouth wide and shot out its deadly tentacles from its now hideous maw.

The tentacles wrapped themselves around all three Kree, restraining them from retaliating. One tentacle shot through the Accuser's arm in point blank range, severing it to make him drop the communicator. As he screamed in agony, Goose effortlessly forced all three Kree warriors into its trans-dimensional belly before reverting its mouth back to "normal".

As Goose burped, Mar-Vell cooed at her affectionately. "Good girl. That's a good flerken. Good job!"

Mari looked at her friend weird before asking, "How the hell did you get your hands on a flerken?"

"I bought her from a pet store in Knowhere."

"Of course," Mari rolled her eyes, "But why do you carry one of the universe's most dangerous monsters around in your backpack?"

"Other than the fact that she's an absolute cutie?", Mar-Vell said as she cradled Goose and rubbed the back of her ears, "Private Goose is a valued member of Rl'nnd's squad and our secret weapon."

"It has a rank?"

"Yes.  _She_ does," Mar-Vell said shooting Mari a glare, "Just don't mention her around Talos. He has a deathly fear of flerkens. He would never trust my little soldier."

"I wonder why," Mari snarked under her breath as she proceeded to move forward towards the target ship. Mar lagged behind her along with the hover truck as she put Goose down on the ground.

With a playful click of her tongue, Mar-Vell told Goose, "Come on, girl. Let's go kill more bad guys!"

Goose let out another meow, perhaps as an affirmation or even a chillingly enthusiastic answer, as she followed behind her master.

* * *

The group then reached a clearing where the ship that Mar-Vell talked about, a light freighter colored dark green, was parked. They hid behind a corner as Mari, Mar-Vell, and Goose peaked their heads out. They spotted a squad of Kree soldiers stationed around the ship, which was currently locked down by magnetic docking clamps that held the ship's wings down.

The three then ducked their heads in to avoid being seen. Mar-Vell cursed, "Damn it! Looks like we got to fight our way in."

"Can't we just use another ship?", Mari asked.

Mar-Vell shook her head. "That freighter is the only one equipped with an advanced camouflage device that can convincingly fool any Kree scanner into thinking that it's a different ship. If we use any other ship to evacuate, the Kree will have us tagged and shot down before we could reach the nearest jump point!"

"Alright, I get it. So how do you want to handle this?"

Mar-Vell took a deep breath and peeked her head out the corner to gauge the enemy's numbers and her surroundings. After thinking deeply about her situation, Mar-Vell went back to Mari and told her, "Go around the other side. There's an entry point on the far side of the clearing. Goose and I will engage the Kree from here. You flank them."

"Smart play," Mari nodded as she used her wrist device to turn her uniform's colors into their original black and purple. Gripping her blaster rifle, Mari turned around and ran off.

When Mari was gone, Mar-Vell knelt down and looked her flerken in the eye. "You ready, girl?"

Goose meowed.

Mar-Vell smiled as wide as she could as she kissed Goose on the nose and said, "That's the spirit!"

Mar-Vell then recolored her own uniform to its original black with the yellow lightning bolt on her chest. She put on her domino mask and activated her wrist blasters, causing her fists to glow gold. She then looked down on Goose and tilted her head to the side, prompting her pet flerken to walk out into the clearing.

It took a few moments for the Kree soldiers to notice the small creature strolling up into the middle of the clearing. When Goose sat down, a soldier pointed at her and shouted, "Intelligence preserve us! It's a flerken!"

Goose then shot out all her tentacles out of her oversized maw. They grabbed three Kree soldiers and lifted them up into the air, allowing Goose's victims to scream and soil themselves in terror.

A group of five soldiers, led by an Accuser, ran up to Goose with their weapons raised, but the flerken distracted them by using her free tentacles to swipe at the soldiers, knocking a couple of them down and forcing the rest to fire at the tentacles rather than at the flerken herself. The action was so intense for Goose that she accidentally tore one of the Kree she lifted in half by gripping him too hard, dumping his two dead pieces into the floor.

However, two more soldiers ran up behind Goose, effectively surrounding the killer alien cat. Fortunately, her master came running to her rescue.

Mar-Vell rushed out of her corner and thrusted her fist forward in a punching motion, firing a golden energy blast from one of her wrist gauntlets. The blast burned a searing blue hole through the soldier she was aiming at, causing her to fire her laser rifle in the air before dropping dead. With her other fist, Mar-Vell fired another energy blast at the other soldier's head, decapitating him and reducing his head into a burnt skull.

While maintaining her stride, Mar-Vell then fired up her boot jets, sending her high into the air above Goose before hovering in place over her.

She glared at the Kree firing at her flerken, and she charged up the energy within her wrist blasters. "Leave my baby alone!," she yelled before thrusting both her fists forward, firing a laser shell that exploded in the middle of the Kree battle group, killing the soldiers and sending them flying in all directions.

With nothing standing in her way, Goose dragged the two soldiers in her tentacles into her mouth, sending them to their doom as they screamed like scared toddlers.

When she saw that all of the soldiers are down, Mar-Vell hovered back into ground level, where Goose greeted her by rubbing herself across her leg. Mar smiled down on her flerken and petted her on the head. "You did good soldier. I guess we didn't need that flank attack after all. Go back up Daddy. I can take care of the rest."

Goose meowed before walking off. Mar-Vell then walked over to the terminal next to the grounded ship.

The Kree have changed the password to the terminal, so Mar-Vell was forced to hack into computer in order gain access to the lockdown protocols, which took a good few minutes.

While she was hacking, however, the Kree Accuser leading the squad managed to survive Mar-Vell's laser shell thanks to her armor. She used her Universal Weapon to force herself back up before limping towards the unsuspecting Mar-Vell with murderous rage glinting off her violet eyes. Once she was in arm's reach of Mar-Vell, the Accuser raised her weapon to swing down and smash the traitor's head in.

Bang!

However, the Accuser felt a sharp pain on her back. She glanced over to small of her back to see a small black hole seared into her armor. Rolling her eyes into her skull, the Accuser fell backwards dead.

Startled by the shot, Mar-Vell looked back and saw Mari standing in the entry point she mentioned with a smoking laser rifle on her hands.

"You know, you could've saved some for me," Mari deadpanned.

Mar-Vell shook out of her surprised daze and said, "I guess I overestimated the Kree's strength."

"I guess so," Mari said before looking around to find one member of their merry band missing, "Where's the flerken?"

"Goose ran off to reinforce Rl'nnd," Mar-Vell said before turning back to the terminal, "But we have bigger problems. The Kree managed to upgrade the terminal's security systems. I'm locked out. I'll have to manually engage a full system wipe and reset it in order to regain access to the lockdown controls."

"How long is that going to take?"

"Half an hour at least," Mar-Vell said before kneeling down and removing the front panel of the terminal, exposing its circuits and wires, "In the meantime, I have a job for you to do. An important one."

"What is it?"

"Even if we get this ship in the air, getting through the warships the Kree have posted in our area is going to be difficult. If they pursue, we might not be able to escape through the camouflage device alone. So I need you to connect the AA guns in the hangar to a remote trigger. That should be enough of a distraction."

"Sounds easy enough. Where's the terminal for them?"

"I'll mark it on your wrist map," Mar-Vell said before using her wrist device to transmit the information to Mari's own wrist device. She then pulled out a small rectangular device from her utility belt and gave it to Mari. "When you get there, simply sync this to the terminal. This should override any security measures and prime the gun controls."

"I'm on it," Mari said before taking the device and running off.

As she returned to the entry point she came through, however, Mari saw one of the soldiers Mar-Vell blew away half-dead but still alive. He was currently trying to crawl toward his gun, marking him out as hostile despite his heavily injured state.

Mari simply stared at him for a moment before pointing her rifle at him and pulling the trigger. The shot burned through his spine, causing the wounded soldier to gasp before flopping into the ground dead. Without batting an eye, Mari ran off into the entry point to complete her task.

From afar, Mar-Vell observed her friend's actions with a worried look in her eyes. As a resistance fighter, Mar-Vell was no stranger to extreme measures during combat, but she never thought of Mari as the kind of person who would execute a helpless man so easily.

As Mar returned to the terminal's circuitry, her mind struggled to process what her mentor has just done.

* * *

Mari navigated this maze of a hangar as she struggled to follow the map's directions. Despite Mar-Vell's help, the map Mari was given did not account for the shipping containers that blocked off entry to the designated area in many spots. Eventually, however, Mari-Ell managed to enter the clearing that the map pointed to on the other side of the hangar.

However, Ronan and an entire squad of Kree soldiers was waiting for her there, and they were blocking her way to the terminal.

Ronan glared at Mari and said, "We finally meet again, face-to-face. It is you, right Mari-Ell? The abomination posing as you is on the other side of the hangar, so I assume it's you."

Mari nodded with a scowl on her face. "I'm the genuine article Ronan," Mari looked at the troops Ronan brought with him, "So I'm guessing you were expecting me to come."

"Not you specifically. I knew your Skrulls would try to access the AA guns. I thought you, as the former champion of Empress Pam-Ah, would find a way to surprise me, but here you are. As predicted. I suspect our former empress had low standards for her champions."

"We all have our bad days. So what do you intend to do here? I assume these fine... warriors are here for me?"

"I plan for them to execute you here and now for your various capital offenses," Ronan spoke frankly.

Mari laughed. "So in other words, you plan to have others do your dirty work for you. I didn't know that the Accuser Corps was in the business accepting cowards into their ranks. Back in my day, Accusers didn't need anyone to help them take down a lowly scientist, but I suppose the Corps' standards aren't what they used to be. Isn't that right, Ronan?"

Ronan frowned at Mari with rage boiling behind his stoic eyes. He called out to his soldiers, "Reinforce our soldiers near the station. Eliminate the Skrulls. I will deal with this traitor alone."

One soldier tried to object. "But sir..."

Ronan grabbed his collar and snapped, "I gave you an order! Now go!"

The soldier, now shaking in fear, simply backed away and told his comrades to move out.

Once the soldiers vacated the area, Mari looked back at Ronan and smirked. "Touched a nerve, eh? You'd think a high ranking member of the Accuser Corps would have thicker skin."

Ronan spat, "You will regret questioning my honor, traitor!"

"Your honor isn't worth the dirt on my boot!", Mari spat back, "You forced my daughter into that damn pod! You perverted my research! As far as I'm concerned, you're nothing more than a thug in fancy armor!"

Ronan gripped the long handle of his Universal Weapon hard as sparks of white energy began to crackle out of the hammer's head like a gathering storm. He said venomously to Mari-Ell, "I will enjoy reducing that insolent mouth of yours to mush!"

The Accuser then swung his hammer forward in a furious arc, firing a bolt of energy out of it. Her latent combat instincts kicking in, Mari reacted quickly enough to the bolt by rolling over to the side to let the energy bolt make a sizeable dent into a nearby shipping container. Landing on her feet kneeling, Mari then raised her laser rifle at Ronan and took aim.

She fired three consecutive laser bolts at Ronan, one aimed at the head and the other two aimed at his chest. However, Ronan quickly slammed the pommel of his Universal Weapon into the ground, which projected an energy field that safely deflected the laser bolts away.

Undeterred, Mari stood up and slowly walked towards Ronan with her rifle still up and firing away at his shield. Ronan stood his ground as he continued to grip both hands on his Universal Weapon. Once Mari was close enough, however, Ronan disengaged his shields and thrusted the head of his hammer forward, firing a concussive pulse at her, sending the former champion flying.

Mari landed her back with a pained curse on her lips and her rifle a couple feet away. Ronan glared the discarded weapon and fired an energy bolt at it, smashing it into pieces. Despite that, Mari winced and stood back up.

"Perhaps I was too angry before," Ronan spoke, "If you surrender now, I will make sure your end will be a quick one."

Mari simply laughed at his offer. "I wasn't chosen as Pam-Ah's champion for being spineless," she said before unsheathing Talos' vibro-sword off her back. The sword's edge glowed bright green with energy as she said, "I was chosen, because I don't bend to monsters like you. I killed the Klyntar Queen. I can handle a deluded zealot!"

"Then prove it, you wretch!", Ronan shouted before charging forward with his hammer raised.

Mari gripped her sword with both hands before stepping forwards towards Ronan and swung her sword in a underhand swing. The sword clashed with the hammer's head with a loud clang and bright sparks. The force reverberated from the clash staggered both combatants back.

However, Mari recovered quickly enough to draw one of her pistols from her holster and fired at Ronan. Unfortunately, the shock from the previous clash messed up Mari's aim, causing her to hit Ronan in left shoulder blade instead of his head. Thanks to the thick plate in that area, the most damage Ronan sustained was a burn mark on the armor and some superficial pain from the impact.

Ronan gritted his teeth and moved in again for another swing of his hammer, which smacked Mari's pistol out of her hand just when she was about to pull the trigger, causing her weapon to fire aimlessly into the air. However, the swing left Ronan vulnerable for a second, allowing Mari to grip both her hands on the sword and thrust it into his shoulder between the plates in Ronan's armor. This cut through Ronan's mail, and the sword managed to tear through his blue flesh and exit out the back, slicing bone and staining the blade blue.

Ronan screamed as Mari twisted her blade and painfully removed the weapon off his shoulder. Clutching the oozing wound in pain, Ronan used his uninjured arm to grip his hammer from the low end of the handle and swing it in a wide, one-handed arc.

However, Mari quickly jumped back, dodging the swing, before pulling out her other pistol to quickly fire at Ronan's arm, the one holding his hammer. The laser bolt burned through the thinner metal of his gauntlet before exiting out the wrist to form a searing hole. Ronan once again screamed in pain as the injury forced him to drop his Universal Weapon.

Now disarmed, Mari sheathed her sword and holstered her gun before charging at Ronan with a fist raised. The first punch caught the pained Ronan by surprise as Mari's fist swiped across his cheek in a left hook.

"That was for turning my cure into a weapon!", Mari shouted before using her right fist to punch Ronan in the gut, making him bend down and convulse, "That was for wasting a month of my life on your damn super soldier program!"

Mari then grabbed Ronan by the neck with both her hands, choking him. With rage still burning in her eyes, she then proceeded to headbutt the Accuser repeatedly in the face, saying, "That was for. Feeding me. That propaganda. Bullshit!"

The last headbutt staggered Ronan back as he was left dazed with a bad concussion and bloody face. Mari then stepped in and pulled out a flat thermal detonator out of her utility belt. She slapped it in the middle of Ronan's breastplate before stepping back. As the circular device beeped, Mari said, "And that was for my daughter, you son of a bitch!"

The detonator then exploded on Ronan's chest, shattering his breastplate into a million pieces. The force of the explosion made him crash hard into the ground. His armored cowl was thrown off his shoulders, rolling indignantly into the cold ground. This left Ronan's bald head bare as he spat out the blood on his mouth and heaved in breath.

He was now prone on the floor, paralyzed by his injuries. The front of his armor is practically gone now with his bare chest exposed, which was now scarred black with severe burns. Ronan tried to pull himself back up only to hiss in pain and flop back down to the ground.

Mari walked up to him, drawing a pistol and aiming it at his heart. Ronan let out a pained laugh as he looked into the former champion's eyes, "There she is... there's the Queen's Butcher. You know... I admired you... once, when I was still training in the temple. You... were the greatest... soldier our empire ever produced. I was... afraid that you lost that... ruthlessness that I loved so much. I thought motherhood... made you soft... weak. I'm glad was wrong..."

"Anything else you want to say before I pull the trigger?", Mari asked scornfully.

Ronan shook his head. "No... no, I think I'm done. A good death... is its own reward. Especially... death... at the hands of a champion... hehehe..."

Mari looked down at Ronan with rage contorting her face to that of a hateful beast. She pulled the trigger...

And fired at Ronan's knee.

"GAAAHH!", Ronan screamed as he rolled over to his side and clutched his injured leg.

"You don't deserve a warrior's death!", Mari spat before flipping her pistol to grip the barrel and whacking Ronan across the cheek with the handle.

Once Ronan is out cold, Mari walked over to the terminal and holstered her pistol. She pulled out the device Mar-Vell gave her and activated a program to sync it to the terminal's AA gun controls. After a minute of waiting, the device was synced in with a satisfying beep and a flash of green light.

Once that was complete, Mari began to walk out of the clearing to retrace her steps back to Mar-Vell. Before she exitted, however, she stopped next to Ronan's unconscious form and looked at his discarded weapon.

His Universal Weapon, the most advanced piece of hand-held weapons technology that the Kree Empire has ever produced, and one was just laying there with its owner unconscious and pissing blood in his pants.

With a mischievous smile, Mari picked up Ronan's hammer and left.

"I wish I can see your face when the Supreme Intelligence finds out how much of a failure you are."

* * *

Back with Mar-Vell, she was finished rewiring the terminal as she placed the panel she took out back in. She got up and restarted the terminal, which got her into the system. With a hopeful smile, she brought up the lockdown protocols and pressed a command to disengage the docking clamps keeping the ship down.

She let out a relieved sigh. "That's one stress off my chest."

BANG!

Mar-Vell jumped and looked behind to see the source of the sound.

It came from a blaster pistol, specifically a cadet's pistol held by Minn-Erva, and she wasn't alone. Beside her was Gla-Ree and Att-Lass along with the corpse of her Skrull comrade, who was laying over in the seat of his hover-truck with holes burned through his temple.

Att-Lass whispered to Minn-Erva, "How did you know that driver was a Skrull?"

"He was with the traitor, you idiot," Gla-Ree spoke to him rudely before walking closer to Mar-Vell and pointing his pistol at her, "I'm guessing that truck is carrying something important? Otherwise, those green parasites at the station wouldn't risk their lives for it."

Mar-Vell raised her hands and spoke carefully, "There are children in that truck."

"Skrull children?", Minn-Erva asked confused.

Mar-Vell nodded her head. "Please... some of them are your age. Most are even younger than that! They just wanna leave. Just... just walk away."

Gla-Ree smiled and shook his head dismissively. "Nah. I was hoping to execute some Skrulls today, and the only good Skrull is a dead one. Open the back of that truck. Once we line them up against that wall, I'll consider letting you run off."

Att-Lass objected, "This wasn't the plan, Gla-Ree! We agreed to capture fugitives, not kill kids!"

"Is that sympathy for the enemy I hear from you, farmboy?", Gla-Ree told him in a condescending tone, "I don't think Yon-Rogg would like that. Not one bit. Would you like that I tell him?"

Att-Lass glared at Gla-Ree and gripped his pistol. Minn-Erva, however, held his shoulder and whispered, "Let it go, Att. This is not a fight you can win."

"But...", he whimpered as he exuded conflict from his eyes. With heavy breaths, he holstered his pistol in resignation. "Damn it..."

Gla-Ree continued, "So what's it gonna be, traitor?"

Mar-Vell sighed. "Alright," she said before lowering her hands.

She then moved one of her fists forward to fire an energy bolt at Gla-Ree. However, she underestimated the boy's skill.

He was the quicker shot as he fired a laser bolt that hit Mar-Vell in the shoulder before she could fire. As Mar-Vell hunched over and gripped her wound, Gla-Ree holstered his weapon and ran at her. He then tackled her across the waist and rammed her into the terminal. Gla-Ree then backed off to let Mar-Vell fall to the ground, supported only by her knees and her one good arm, before he restrained that arm and pinned her to the floor.

He then pulled out his blaster with his free hand and pointed it at Mar-Vell's head. "I'm giving you one last chance! Open that truck, or I'll place a laser bolt into the back of your skull!"

Mar-Vell grunted. "N-Never! I rather die than let those children get killed!"

A sick smile graced Gla-Ree's young face as his finger moved towards the trigger. "Then die you shall!"

BOOM!

A concussive pulse suddenly slammed into Gla-Ree, sending him flying with a surprised scream. Mar-Vell flopped into the ground before she looked up and saw Mari-Ell standing with her stolen Universal Weapon raised. Mar sat up and rested against the terminal as her former mentor walked towards Gla-Ree with both her hands gripping her Universal Weapon.

While he was on his back, Gla-Ree tried to reach for the pistol that was knocked away from him. However, Mari stepped on the hand reaching for the weapon, crushing it and breaking the boy's fingers.

"AAAGGHH!", Gla-Ree screamed.

Mari looked down on him with a venomous look in her eyes. "I remember you. You're my daughter's bully. You tormented her! Now you wish to kill innocent children?"

Unfettered, Mari stepped away from Gla-Ree's hand and raised her hammer.

Gla-Ree looked at Mari-Ell with terror seizing his eyes as he tried to crawl away from her. "P-Please! Don't kill me! I... I'll give you..."

Mari threw down her hammer, Gla-Ree's cries for mercy falling on deaf ears. The first strike hit him square in the chest, breaking his sternum and causing the boy to heave and spit blood off his mouth.

Mari lifted her hammer up for another strike. Mar-Vell called out, "Mari! Don't!"

"Raaahh!", Mari screamed before throwing her hammer down.

The crushing blow landed on the ground next to Gla-Ree's head. Mari left her hammer there before she knelt down and landed a punch on the cadet's face, bloodying it. She then landed another punch and then one more, venting her rage as she rendered him unconscious, before laying her hands on the collar of Gla-Ree's uniform and throwing him towards Att-Lass and Minn-Erva, placing the heavily wounded boy at their feet.

Mari-Ell panted heavily as she paused to burn through her repressed anger. She then picked up her Universal Weapon, stood back up, and stared at the two remaining cadets.

Att-Lass stood with his blaster raised as he stood in front of Minn-Erva, ready to defend her. Minn herself just stood there, staring at Mari-Ell with a troubled look in her eyes.

They all stared each other down for a tense moment before Mari told them, "Take that boy, and leave. Forget what you saw here."

Att-Lass took a moment to look back at Minn-Erva. She stared at him blankly and nodded, prompting him pick up Gla-Ree by the arms and slinging him over his shoulder.

Minn-Erva then looked at her dead girlfriend's mother and told her, "I'm sorry about Vanee. I... I loved her too."

Mari looked at Minn-Erva sympathetically when she saw that the poor girl was on the verge of tears. "She loved you too, Minn, and I know that she doesn't regret the time she spent with you."

Minn-Erva gave her a knowing nod as her cheeks were wet with tears. She then turned to leave the scene with Att-Lass trailing behind her.

Mari then walked over to Mar-Vell. She offered her a hand before picking her friend back up. Mari looked at her friend's laser wound and asked, "You going to be alright?"

Mar-Vell stared at Mari in shock at the blue blood staining her fists before shaking her head and answering, "Yeah... just a flesh wound."

Mari nodded. "I'll drive the truck. You open up the ship."

"Right...", Mar-Vell said before Mari ran towards the hover-truck.

She stared at her friend with a worried eye for a moment before turning back to the terminal and inputting a command that opened the entrance hatch of the ship.

* * *

At the front of the station, all of the Skrull warriors lie dead. All except for Rl'nnd, who was facing an enemy that continues to outnumber him.

The Super-Skrull, still in his steel form, ran through the piles of Kree corpses laying on his feet to charge at the nearest soldier with his claws unsheathed. With a primal yell, he impaled that soldier through the chest with both sets of claws before ripping it off his body and letting the dead soldier flop into the floor.

Rl'nnd was then hit by a volley of laserfire, which bounced off his shoulder and head. He turned around and saw three more Kree soldiers firing at him, so he lunged at the nearest one, shrugging off the laser bolts, as he dug his claws into her sides. As that soldier expired with a pained screech, her remaining comrades, both with visible looks in their eyes began to point their rifles down in a panic before firing down on Rl'nnd's back.

The Super-Skrull merely chuckled at the two's ineffectual attacks before removing his claws off the corpse and spinning around in a cyclone maneuver with both sets of claws outstretched in opposite directions. This sliced through the remaining soldiers' bellies as their blue guts began spilling out their bodies. The two soldiers groaned in agony as they tried in vain to collect their insides only to flop over dead in a pool of their own blood.

Rl'nnd was met by another laser bolt that struck the side of his neck. Wincing in pain, he looked over to the source of the shot to see a sniper perched over on top of a shipping container with a spotter sitting next to her.

Rl'nnd scowled at them, "Irritating little... BASTARDS!"

He shouted as he fired a laser blast from his eyes. The laser beam impacted the sniper's high-powered laser rifle straight into the barrel just as she was pulling the trigger. The reaction between the two energies caused a volatile explosion that consumed both the sniper and her spotter as well as split the the top of the shipping container right open.

Rl'nnd stared at the cloud of smoke for a moment before examining the the wound on his neck. He winced as he removed two of his fingers off his neck to see that they were slightly drenched with lime green blood.

Rl'nnd scowled. That glancing shot managed dent his armor and make him bleed a little. It was a good thing that the sniper didn't hit anything important, otherwise he'd be dead now. Speaking of being careful...

CLANG!

Rl'nnd felt a crushing blow across his back that actually knocked into the floor. The Super-Skrull felt a wave of pain wracking his body as he felt a noticeable dent across the small of his back. Rl'nnd groaned as he turned around on his back to find an Accuser standing across from him with a Universal Weapon in her hands.

"Damn it!", Rl'nnd thought, "Another weapon that can get past my armor!"

The Accuser smiled wickedly as she lifted her hammer over her head. "Time to die, abomin... gah! What the... agh!"

The Accuser was then ripped off her feet as a swarm of tentacles dragged her back. The screaming Accuser was forced into Goose's monstrous mouth as she swallowed her whole. Once Goose's mouth returned to normal, she walked towards Rl'nnd and rubbed her head across his arm with a happy pur.

Rl'nnd smiled at his timely rescuer as he rewarded Goose was a gentle stroke across her back. "Nice work, private."

Rl'nnd stood up and tried to undo the dent on his back by pounding his chest with his fist. After a couple hits, the force managed to pull the metal of Rl'nnd's back into its proper shape. As Rl'nnd let out a satisfied sigh, however, he heard a row of guns cocking behind him.

He turned around to see a mass of Kree soldiers, numbering over twenty or so, standing across from him with all the firepower they can spare. Most still held the standard blaster pistols and rifles, but there are a good number of Kree holding heavier weapons, such as plasma rocket launchers, gatling lasers, laser snipers, and Accusers wielding their Universal weapons.

Sergeant Yon-Rogg was at the head of the force, holding a gatling laser in his hands. As Goose hissed at him, Yon-Rogg spoke, "You are strong, beast, but you are outnumbered and vastly outgunned. Surrender now, and we will let you live."

Rl'nnd scowled. The Super-Skrull knew what Yon-Rogg meant when he said that he would let him live if he surrendered. The Kree planned to place him in one of their laboratories, where he would be experimented on and discarded when his usefulness has past. Even if that wasn't the case, Rl'nnd wasn't the kind of person who would give in that easily.

He unsheathed his claws as his answer. Yon-Rogg said, "So be it. All squads! Fire at will!"

BOOM!

Before any of the Kree can fire there weapons, a missile suddenly flew into the middle of their line, killing the Kree close to it instantly and sending many more flying. Yon-Rogg and his troops looked up in shock to see Mar-Vell's ship flying low in the air.

Rl'nnd smiled at the sight as the ship began firing heavy lasers at the Kree as suppressive fire.

As everything exploded around them, Yon-Rogg yelled, "Scatter! Take cover!"

The Kree were sent scrambling from the ship's barrage. Over the ship's intercom, Mari-Ell told her husband,  _"It's now or never, love! Get inside!"_

The ship opened its entrance hatch.

Rl'nnd carefully picked up Goose as he hummed under his breath, "Gods, I love that woman."

He then ran at top speeds at the entrance hatch before performing an Olympic level leap at it. Rl'nnd landed safely on the hatch before he ran deeper inside to ship to allow the hatch to close up. With all the survivors inside, the Skrull ship stopped firing and turned around towards the hangar's opening before darting into Hala's night sky.

Back on the ground, Yon-Rogg got out his communicator and called the fleet. "We have an enemy bird in the air! Shoot it down!"

The warships shadowing Ronan's forces locked on to the Skrull ship. But before they could begin firing, the hangar's AA guns suddenly went online as they fired damaging laser shells at the Kree warships. This forced them into evasive maneuvers as the guns fired relentlessly at any ships in range.

This distraction allowed the Skrull ship to disappear into the night sky before changing its color from green to blue along with scrambling itself a new identification number and branding of an independent wine company. It blended into the traffic of commercial ships leaving the Kree homeworld before shepherding its people into the nearest jump point.

* * *

Once out the Kree home system, the passengers of the Skrull ships navigated through enemy territory as they try to make it into neutral space. The journey was tense and treacherous as the crew were forced to deal with tedious checkpoints and avoid the big patrols. They came close to being discovered a couple times, but thanks to built-in hiding spots for the kids and well-placed bribes to the right people, the crew managed fool the Kree into thinking that they are just a harmless shipping freighter.

After exiting the last jump point into neutral territory, the crew flew over to where the main Skrull fleet is hiding at as protocol dictated. The Skrull ship sent out a code to confirm that it is a friendly before it flew into a prominent cruiser of the Skrull fleet, the  _Skrullos Eternal._

Once docked inside its hangar, Mar-Vell, Rl'nnd, and Mari-Ell led the children out of the ship and into their temporary quarters in the crew deck. The three then climbed up to the bridge through the elevator to find Talos talking with the ship's captain. Once he saw Mari and friends, Talos smiled and broke off from his previous conversation. He walked towards them while also avoiding the dozens of crewmen walking about.

Talos gave his brother a hug as he told them, "Glad to see you all made it out of Hala alive."

Rl'nnd chuckled as he playfully patted his brother in the back. "Worried that I would no longer be there to win your battles for you, Talos?"

Talos broke away from the embrace as he looked up to Rl'nnd and grinned. "Like I need some mindless brute to muck up my perfect battle plans!", Rl'nnd laughed as his brother looked over to Mar-Vell, "How are your charges, Mar?"

"We didn't lose a single child," Mar-Vell reported happily before a somber pout was etched on her face, "But the rest of our warriors... they died to get us out of Hala. We're all that's left of the squad."

"Such a shame," Talos muttered before lowering his head, "May the gods guide them to their eternal rest."

"Amen," Talos, Rl'nnd, and Mar-Vell chanted with the utmost reverence.

Mari joined them a bit later. "Amen," Mari-Ell then handed Talos his sheathed vibro-sword, "This belongs to you. I have my own weapon now, anyway."

"Thank you. I knew my trust wasn't misplaced," Talos said before taking back his sword, "I'm glad to report the rest of the squads managed to get the civilians to safety, including the infants. No notable incidents."

Rl'nnd and Mar-Vell let out sighs of relief as Talos continued, "I took the liberty of scattering the civilians to find refuge among our other holdings as well as to our allies across the galaxy. With our underground network in Hala compromised, the Kree will be seeking retaliation by putting our people back at the top of their list. I imagine they'll begin by removing our remaining Hala cells. I already gave out the order for them to evacuate, but... we have to assume that some information will be compromised. I'm afraid any information regarding the civilians' relocation is classified."

"I suppose it was the only move we have," Mar-Vell hummed before letting out a frustrated sigh, "But still... this complicates matters."

"Can you at least tell us where you hid our baby, Talos?", Rl'nnd asked anxiously.

"You know I can't tell you, brother. Not yet," Talos said regretfully, "But rest assured, Anelle is safe."

Rl'nnd grimaced as Mar-Vell chimed in. "I guess it can't be helped. How will this affect Operation Exodus?"

"You'll go to your chosen planet as planned. Once the heat from the Kree dies down, we will be able to gather volunteers and send a ship your way. Once you complete the... device, send out a signal as soon as possible."

"It might take years. Decades even," Mar-Vell told him.

"We'll wait for as long as it takes. The success of this mission is vital to the survival of our people."

"Understood," Mar-Vell nodded. She then turned to her husband and said, "I guess this is goodbye... at least for a while."

Rl'nnd looked down on her somberly. "I guess so. I'll... I'll miss have you around... my love."

Mar-Vell smiled. "No matter what happens, I'll always love you. You know that right?", Rl'nnd nodded, "Take care our baby girl while I'm away. Alright?"

"Okay...", Rl'nnd hummed sadly.

Talos awkwardly cleared his throat. "You know, Mar. You don't have to go now. I can give you two the rest of the day to relax and... tie up loose ends, if you catch my drift."

Mar-Vell looked at Talos before turning back to her husband with a smirk. "Whatever will we do to pass the time?"

Rl'nnd smiled back and caressed his wife's cheek. "I have a few ideas."

He then leaned in to kiss her. Mar-Vell returned that kiss passionately as she threw her arms around her husband's neck. Rl'nnd then picked up Mar-Vell by the legs before lifting her into the elevator, their lips not parting for the entire time. Everyone on the bridge stared at the couple as the elevator closed and sent them down to the crew deck.

Mari turned to Talos and said, "Was that as awkward for you as it was for me?"

"I can honestly say that it was awkward for all of us," Talos sighed, "I'm starting to regret my decision. Let's just hope that they don't start taking off their clothes until  _after_ they get a room. We have children here for gods' sake!"

"We can only hope," Mari-Ell hummed playfully.

Talos asked, "So what's your plan now, Mari-Ell? Have you made your final decision about Mar-Vell's offer to join her?"

Mari sighed. "I have, and... I will help her with whatever it is your people need to find a new homeworld."

Talos smiled. "Excellent. But if you don't mind my asking, what changed your mind?"

"Other than the fact that I want to do something important with my second chance? Well... I suppose I owe you all a debt for getting me away from the empire and for everything my people has done to yours," Mari then took a piece of paper out of her pocket and presented it to Talos, "While I was in Hala, I made a promise to one of the children under my care. She wanted me to give this to you, so that you can give this to her parents. Her name is Ry'ah."

Talos took the piece of paper and unfolded it. He looked at the child's drawing and sighed. "Ry'ah... I know her. Her parents were deployed in Satriani and were killed in action."

Mari sighed regretfully. "I figured..."

"But I hear she has family in Arago-7. I'll make sure this gets to them," Talos said pocketing the picture, "Hopefully they'll send for her when we secure safe passage to Xandar."

Mari smiled. "Thank you."

At least some good came out from all this.

* * *

Mari-Ell and Mar-Vell boarded a personal shuttle the next morning. After a five hour ride across the galaxy and two jump points, the duo discretely arrived at their destination.

C-53. Terra. Or as the humans there call it- Earth.

Their shuttle landed in a hidden spot that Mar-Vell set up beforehand in the outskirts of Maryland. After hiding the alien ship underneath an inconspicuous shed in the woods, Mar-Vell and Mari-Ell changed into civilian clothing that would allow them to blend in with the local Terrans. They walked out of the woods, each carrying a backpack filled with supplies, as they arrive at a bus station.

As the two women walked inside, Mari, who was hiding her Universal Weapon in a dufflebag, asked her friend, "So where are we going?"

Mar-Vell turned to her as she carried a pet box with a sleeping Goose inside it. "I'll be going to Washington DC. I'll try to pitch my idea for the Lightspeed Engine to this country's leaders, but that might take some time. The Terrans of this planet are culturally backwards as well as technologically backwards. It's gonna be difficult for a woman to get anywhere in the government. I need to work on a prototype as soon as possible to get them to listen. Maybe invest in a male mouthpiece, if necessary?"

"I'm sure it will be an easy task for two master scientists like us, yeah?", Mari piped up more optimistically.

Mar-Vell sighed. "About that... I've been thinking and... I don't think you should be involved in... all this."

Mari looked at her confused. "What?"

"I was telling the truth when I said that Operation Exodus was meant to save lives, not end them. But the fact of the matter is that we would still be a part of the Kree-Skrull War, regardless of our intentions. And... you deserve more than to be dragged into another conflict."

"So you just want me to abandon the Skrulls. I owe them a debt, Mar-Vell."

"That's the thing, Mari. You don't owe anyone anything," Mar-Vell said as she placed a supportive hand on her friend's shoulder, "Your entire life was decided on the choices of others. The Kree forced you to become a soldier, and then they forced you to develop living weapons. And... I don't want you to go down that road again with the Skrulls. No matter how noble their intentions are. You deserve to be happy, Mari. You deserve to have a life of your own, but that's never going to happen if you let yourself become involved in this war."

"That's not what you said when you asked me to join your project."

"That was before I saw your eyes during the battle," Mar-Vell shuddered, "They were filled with so much rage and coldness. You showed a ruthlessness that I would never associate with you, and it scared me. But what scared me the most was just the... emptiness that I saw in you. It's like you had nothing left except the heat of battle, and that's not a foundation that can hold true happiness. That's when I realized that I cannot force my allegiance on you. To truly move forward with your life, you must have a choice."

Mar-Vell then took out some documents from her coat. She gave them to Mari, who gave a quick look at the front page. There was a picture of her, and next to that was a name.

Marie Ellen. Born in Swansea, Wales. 1929.

"Marie Ellen," Mari hummed, "How creative of you, Mar."

"It's Wendy Lawson here."

"So you get the good name, and I'm stuck with the most obvious derivative for my name possible?", Mari teased, "Oh yeah, I feel so free. Thank you so much for giving the gift of choice, 'Wendy'."

The two friends laughed for a good moment.

Mar-Vell then continued, "I'll be taking the #5 bus to DC. You can either take another bus there, or pick any number of places you see on that board. It's your decision, and no one else's."

Mari looked up all the service board for a moment and marveled at all the places she could go now through a fixed toll price. She looked back at Mar-Vell and smiled sincerely, "Thank you."

She nodded. "As the Terrans here say, the world is your oyster."

"What's an oyster?"

Mar laughed. "Take care of yourself, 'Marie'. If you ever need my help, my number is on your bag."

Mari watched her friend walk away and take a place in line to get a ticket.

Mari looked back at the service board. For the first time in her life, Mari didn't have a set path laid out for her.

And it was the most liberating experience she ever had in a long time.

* * *

**One Year Later**

**Bar Harbor, Maine**

Inside of a local bar, Marie Ellen took a seat on the bartop after her shift has ended. It has been quite the year for the former champion.

While the documents Mar-Vell provided her gave her the education credentials appropriate for one of Hala's top scientists, Marie's gender has made having a career in the scientific field difficult due to that area being frustratingly male-dominated in this planet. Eventually, she did managed to get a job as a science teacher at a local high school. It's not as glamorous as being on the cutting edge back in Hala, but it's good enough living. Although, it did made her appreciate the relative gender equality back home.

That was probably the one thing the Kree Empire got right in her mind. But at least she wasn't living under a totalitarian regime here. Take in the good with the bad and all.

At the very least, she got something undeniably good out of all this.

Steve... her adoptive son.

Marie brought him into her home once she provided a stable enough living for herself. She was conflicted about raising another child, especially since it hasn't been that long since Vanee's death. But after some long-distance coaxing from Mar-Vell, Mari decided to go to the local orphanage and fill out the adoption papers.

Now Marie can't imagine her life here without that troublesome little tyke around. Marie smiled at the thought of her adoptive son as the bartender placed her glass in front of her.

Besides societal sexism and the daily pressures of being a high school teacher and a single mother, Marie's greatest challenge at present was something much more... mundane.

"I saw that on TV," Marie said in a rather butchered American accent, "I saw that on TV. I sawr that on... goddamnit."

Marie cursed in her natural, Kree-Pama accent and took a sip of her beer.

"I think you should cut yourself some slack," a brunette man said as he took a seat next to her, "As American accents go, I saw worse on TV. Sorry... sawr."

Marie laughed as the man asked the bartender for a round of scotch. She asked him teasingly in her native accent, "Is this a habit of yours? Making fun of a poor woman's attempt to get rid of her accent?"

"It's surprisingly charming when I do it," the man said as his glass was placed in front of him, "So... what brings a nice Welsh girl like you over to this side of the pond?"

Marie looked at the man curiously. Most other people in this town mistake her for being English or Irish rather than Welsh. Marie supposed that she's none of those things, but still, this man's observations were surprisingly sharp.

Marie responded, "Well, this nice Welsh  _woman_ wanted a change of scenery. There's not much for me back home, anyway."

"Yeah, I suppose Swansea isn't much to look at after the Second World War," the man said as he sipped his drink.

The man's knowledge continued to impress Marie. He placed her accent in a specific region in Wales. Interesting. "I suppose it isn't. So tell me, how does Yank get to be as sharp as you?", Marie asked using a word she saw being used by British characters on TV.

"I used to be a naval officer. I was stationed in Wales, but my time there was surprisingly uneventful. I was hoping to get a scuffle in with the Reds before my tour ended, but no dice."

"I'm so sorry that World War III didn't happen in time. I feel so sorry for you," Marie teased earning her a nice chuckle from the man, "So what does this Yank do nowadays other than make fun of people's accents?"

"Other than raising a baby on my own? I'm a fisherman. I run my own business with my brother on the docks. It's a lot more boring than my navy days, but at least I'm close to home."

"You're a single father?"

The man sighed sadly looking down his glass. "Yeah... wife passed away a few years ago. All I have left of her is Junior."

"I'm sorry," Marie said with genuine sympathy in her eyes, "I'm a single parent too."

"What happened to your husband?"

"He... he left me," Marie said shuddering. It wasn't the entire truth, but he didn't need to know that.

"His loss then," the man said looking her with just as much sympathy, "I guess life hasn't been good to either of us, huh?"

"You have no idea."

"So why are you trying to get rid of your Welsh accent? It sounds alright to me."

Marie looked down on her drink solemnly. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Home is... it's not something I want to remember. I've lost a lot over the years, and for the longest time... I didn't think I could be anything more than the person I've resigned myself to. But a... friend of mine believed I could do better, so here I am. It hasn't always been easy being here in... America, but I'm finally at a place where I can move on with my life. To finally feel... whole. I just feel that losing my accent will finally, uh... clean the slate? Do you... understand?"

"Sorta," the man started, "You want a fresh start. I get that."

"Thank you."

The man smirked as he took another sip of his scotch. "You know, if you want more practice doing an American accent, I can help you."

"You want to bring me home?", Marie teased, "I'm flattered, but I don't think we're there yet."

He blushed. "O-Or we could meet up here. That works too."

Marie laughed at his expense. She then took a really good look at her drinking buddy. His short hair was combed and slightly gelled to give off a dashing presence. She also found his small beard to be absolutely charming, and his brown eyes were just... dreamy.

Marie had to admit that this was an extremely handsome man. At the very least, he was a lot more handsome than Endwi.

"What's your name, Yankee?", Marie asked.

"Joseph. But you can call me Joe. May I ask the nice Welsh woman's name?"

"Marie," she spoke fondly as she heard her new name out loud, "My name is Marie Ellen."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes the Origins of Marie Danvers!
> 
> I hope you all loved this three parter. It was a pain for me to write due to how many things needed to happen here, but I think it turned out well enough.
> 
> A few notes before I leave, though.
> 
> Ronan would be demoted due to his failure of allowing the Skrulls to escape and for losing his Universal Weapon. However, he would gain a new hammer and worked his way back to reclaim the rank he lost. He would reclaim his former rank by the time of the Captain Marvel solo movie so no issues there.
> 
> While both Att-Lass and Minn-Erva turned out to be decent people in this story, their childhood innocence wouldn't last. Through his service at Starforce, Att-Lass would become jaded and be more accepting of the Kree Empire's extreme measures and ideology. While flashes of a good man would shine through as shown through some of his dialogue in the Captain Marvel movie, Att-Lass would become party to some of the Kree's atrocities. Minn-Erva, however, turned out even worse.
> 
> After the incident with the Skrulls, the Supreme Intelligence outed Minn-Erva as a lesbian. She was sent to a reeducation camp in one of Hala's moons, and she was tortured and conditioned to suppress her homosexuality. When she was released back to the Starforce program, she became a different person. The experience would haunt her for the rest of her life, making her cold and detached to everyone and everything. However, it also allowed her to become the Kree ideal of a perfect soldier in that she excelled in her training and would find killing to be easy. Once she was assigned to Yon-Rogg's unit, what was left of the innocent girl that Vanee knew died once she was exposed to the horrors of war.
> 
> Additionally, Yon-Rogg grew to become more invested in nurturing Minn-Erva's darker nature, which activated a part of her conditioning that allowed her to be drawn to a Kree of the opposite sex, namely Yon-Rogg. It wasn't true love, but it was a way for Minn-Erva to suppress her true sexuality as dictated by her conditioning. So when Vers came along, she grew to resent her for taking her place. It doesn't help that Minn-Erva had major self-esteem issues due to her half-Sakaaran, so it's little wonder why she hates Carol so much in her solo movie.
> 
> As mentioned in another story, Carol also went through this conditioning as Vers, but she thankfully had many positive memories to draw on as well as an anchor to her true self in the form of her beloved, Maria Rambeau. Unfortunately, Minn-Erva had no such anchor as her love, Vanee-Gast, died years ago. That's why when Minn-Erva was killed during the events of the Captain Marvel movie, I imagine her surviving the initial explosion before expiring in the desert.
> 
> In this continuity, her last words were, "Vanee... I can see you..."
> 
> Then her body was found by SHIELD and would be dissected by Hydra.
> 
> When I started this series, I decided to take the challenge of making Minn-Erva, arguably one of least sympathetic Kree in the movies after Yon-Rogg and Ronan, as a tragic character that one could sympathize with. I wanted to change the way one sees Minn-Erva in the movie if one chooses to see it through the lens of this AU. I hope that my efforts payed off.
> 
> But if that was too depressing for you, Rl'nnd and Anelle would survive well after the Captain Marvel movie. Yay! They would mourn Mar-Vell's passing, but still. They live on.
> 
> That's enough jawing from me for now. I thank you for the read. Stayed tuned next time as we return to the main character of this fic and see how she comes back from the dead.
> 
> Have a nice day.


	7. Into the Looking Glass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanee-Gast wakes up in a strange world far removed from her own... with an entirely different life story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made another small edit.
> 
> In the last chapter, I changed Joseph Danvers' military background from Air Force to navy in the final scene. When I first started writing, I looked up the US military's presence in the UK and saw that the Air Force had the most military bases there so I settled on Joe being Air Force without much thought. Then after a few days, I thought about the US Navy's international presence and felt that Joseph should be a naval officer rather than an Air Force pilot.
> 
> Given how much Carol hated her father, I don't see her wanting the Air Force job that badly if she thought that she was following in his footsteps. It wouldn't feel right for her character if she and her father are both Air Force, so I decided to make Joe a naval officer instead to make his divide from his daughter more apparent while giving Carol a fair degree of separation from the father she hated so much.
> 
> I also have another note before we begin.
> 
> Originally, this arc of the story was meant to be an adaptation of the Planet Hulk storyline with Voyager in place of the Hulk. In that version, Vanee would be teleported to Sakaar and captured by slavers before being sold to the Grandmaster. She would spend years as a gladiator as she fought to gain her freedom, and in the process, she would become a more ruthless character. Vanee would also meet Korg, Miek, and other characters from Planet Hulk and would form her own team of fighters called the Warbound.
> 
> This arc would end with Mari catching wind of her daughter's survival by stumbling into a quantum anomaly before enlisting the help of the Inhumans to help buy Vanee's freedom from the Grandmaster.
> 
> But as time went on, I grew to fall out of love with this idea. I felt that I would either drag out the story for too long or rush it too quickly due to the number of characters and relationship dynamics involved. Plus, I just didn't feel like I'd have fun writing that story.
> 
> And so, I came up with a new story arc after reading Avengers: No Surrender and watching Caped Joel's reviews of Avengers: No Road Home on YouTube. I'll only say this before we begin:
> 
> This arc pays homage to how Voyager made her first appearance in the comics but with a twist.
> 
> How? Well, let's find out.

**Earth**

**2019**

All was dark.

All was silent.

And then, Vanee felt a vibration in her side. The force was small at first until it reverberated with increasing strength. She then heard static in her ear. It was nothing but muffled rambling, but then it grew louder and progressively more coherent.

"M..."

"Mo..."

"Mom!"

"Mommy!"

"Mommy! Wake up!", the voice shouted. It was a girl's voice, and it grew so loud, so intense that it became like a knife grating on Vanee's ears. The small vibrations Vanee felt grew into forceful shakes that ripped her out of her slumber, forcing her eyes to be burned by the morning light.

"What do you want from me?", Vanee whined. Once her eyes adjusted to the light, Vanee could see that she was in a bedroom and a primitive looking one at that. She was under the sheets of an unfamiliar bed, lightly clothed with only a shirt and shorts, and currently Vanee was being stared at by a bald, blue-skinned child with bright azure eyes. The child, wearing a cute set of white pajamas, smiled at Vanee from ear-to-ear, which freaked her out a little as she felt the kid (a six year old Luphomoid it seems) breathing down her neck. "Who are you supposed to be?"

The girl chuckled with an air of childlike innocence. "Oh Mommy! You're so silly!"

"Where am I? How did I get here?", Vanee said as she looked around her unfamiliar surroundings. She was then confused when she finally noticed the sound of her own voice. Her American sounding voice. "What's with this strange accent?"

The girl continued to laugh. "Come on, Mommy! Get up! Today's a big day!"

"Why do you keep calling me...", Vanee started to say before wincing in pain. Suddenly, a rush of unfamiliar memories began flashing in front of her eyes. She remembered walking around in a city... on a planet with a green sky. She entered an orphanage and filled out some papers... adoption papers. The last image was her holding the little girl in her arms. They were both laughing...

The little girl tugged on Vanee's sleeve with a look of concern in her eyes. "Mommy? Are you okay?"

Vanee looked up at the girl and was compelled to smile at her. "Obee... right. Sorry dear, I was kinda out of it. I can't believe I didn't recognize you."

Obee smiled back. "It's okay, Mommy. I forget things too."

"Yeah, but you're my daughter, Obee. I'm supposed to remember you, always," Vanee said as she rubbed the child's bald head, "Otherwise, how am I supposed to find you if you get lost?"

Obee laughed. "You'll always find me, Mommy. You're the Voyager!"

Vanee laughed back. "I guess I am. Let's get out of bed and get dressed. After all, today is the... it's the day."

"Yay!", Obee cheered happily as she ran out of her mother's room.

Still feeling a little winded, Vanee got up and staggered to a nearby mirror that hung on what looks like a closet door. Vanee stared at her reflection, confused by what she saw for a moment before her thoughts began to come together more clearly. She then looked at her adult body more closely.

Vanee could scarcely believed it's been 59 years since she first stepped foot into that pod. Looking at her body now, you'd think she was 30 not 74. Vanee was still pretty lean and muscular, in the prime of her life actually. Her skin was clear of any wrinkles although she could still see some scars, trophies from battles she had survived. But other than that, age is seeming to take its sweet time with her. Her breasts aren't even sagging!

A benefit of her Kree genes, she presumed.

"But wait," Vanee thought aloud, "I'm 74... I should at least grow a couple wrinkles by now."

Before she could think more deeply about this inconsistency, Vanee looked down to see a golden ring on her finger with a red Kree star at its center. Suddenly, Vanee's previous thoughts were erased from her mind as she was compelled to press the star on her ring, which made it click like a button.

One second later, thousands of nanomachines erupted out of the ring and began covering themselves over Vanee's body, even over her current clothing. Over the course of three seconds, the nanomachines assembled themselves into a form-fitting uniform. It was a yellow and black outfit that covered her entire body from the neck down. She had on a pair of black gloves, a pair of black boots, a matching skirt, and she had a belt with a red "V" emblazoned on its golden buckle.

This outfit lacked armor, but it was a stylish and functional piece that Vanee could see herself fighting in if necessary.

Vanee smiled, but felt that it was missing a special something. She then looked at the closet door and turned it slightly as if she was being guided by an invisible hand. This led Vanee to find a familiar red bandana hanging off a rack attached to the back of the door.

Vanee eagerly grabbed this valuable piece of cloth and wrapped around her neck, securing it with a tight knot. Looking back at the mirror, Vanee smiled at what she saw saying, "Nice!"

Before she could continue admiring herself in the mirror, Vanee heard her daughter calling to her from the living room. "Mommy! Look!", she shouted in alarm.

Vanee's smile vanished as she left the bedroom and joined Obee's side in front of what looks like a wide, flat monitoring device. It reminded the Kree woman of the visual projectors back home only bulkier and frankly a lot more primitive.

There was a Terran woman on screen sitting behind a desk with a square to the top right of her displaying a live feed of a crime in progress. She said:

_"Breaking News! The Wakandan Outreach Center in downtown Manhattan is currently under attack by Watchdog extremists led by former Avenger, Steve Rogers. The Kingdom of Wakanda, under Queen Shuri, has been heavily criticized by pro-Earth groups for years after accepting alien refugees from the ongoing Shi'ar civil war into their borders and advocating for the integration of alien immigrants into human society. This appears to be the main cause behind this ongoing terrorist attack as Rogers once led the now defunct United Confederacy of Hydra, which instituted several policies and pogroms against Inhumans and other aliens. The police have surrounded the center, but aren't making a move against the Watchdogs after they took several staff and guests hostage..."_

Obee stared at the square, on the bullet ridden front of the building, before looking back at her adoptive mother with a distraught expression. She tugged at her sleeve and said, "You have to stop them, Mommy! Stop the bad men!"

Vanee was silent with hesitation running on her face. Everything was going by so fast. Vanee-Gast could barely follow along in this weird situation. Why was she in C-53? What is this 'Wakanda' the news lady was talking about? Why are they so concerned about helping the Shi'ar? And there is a civil war going on in the Shi'ar Empire? It's not that surprising that such a decadent civilization would fall apart like that, but this was the first time she was hearing about this, and from the sounds of it, it's been going on for some time now. And who the hell is this Steve Rogers, and why does he seem so familiar?

"What the hell is going on?", she thought to herself.

However, Vanee then looked down to see the sad pout on her daughter's face. Obee was on the verge of tears as she said, "Please..."

Suddenly, the questions that have been hanging on Vanee's mind wasn't so important anymore. She knelt down and patted Obee's shoulder. "Okay... I'm going."

Obee nodded somberly as her mother got up and moved towards the door out of their apartment room.

"How am I supposed to get there in time, though?", Vanee thought worriedly, "I have no idea where this 'outreach center' is. I can't just wander around the streets until I find..."

Suddenly, Vanee was engulfed by a violet light before disappearing out of the room entirely.

* * *

Within the history exhibit inside Manhattan's Wakandan Outreach Center, several men with dog masks and guns were standing over the terrorized forms of the staff and visitors who they had forced to bunch together and sit in separate clusters all over the spacious room. The few guards who were working in the center were quickly killed off by these well-armed terrorists.

The Watchdogs came in suddenly without any warning as they managed to catch the Wakandan guards by surprise, who also had the added disadvantage of not having any vibranium weapons due to Wakanda's agreement with the US when the outreach program was first created.

With the guards dead, the civilians inside the center were now utterly defenseless. This was a fact not lost on the poor people in the history exhibit if the tears and anxious shaking were anything to go by.

A few minutes past until the man in charge of this attack entered the room. He was a blonde Terran wearing a suit of green armor with a golden star on his chest. On his right hand, he held a kite shaped shield colored green and gold with the symbol of a skull and tentacles at its center. On his left hand, the man carried a green helmet with a golden "H" inlaid on the forehead and gold lenses over the eyes.

The blonde Terran walked towards his men with a group frightened aliens behind him along with a few of his gunmen guiding these hostages. One of his lieutenants walked up to him and said, "Hail Hydra, Supreme Leader! Is this the last of the roaches?"

"Indeed they are," the Supreme said before asking, "Are the rest of our... guests herded into the vans?"

"Yes sir," the lieutenant nodded, "The drivers are standing by in the parking lot as you requested. The cops in that section of the blockade should help us secure safe passage out of this neighborhood."

"Then guide these aliens to the rest of their kind. I want to be out of this circus as soon as possible," he said in a tone that barely hid his disgust.

The lieutenant told the aliens' armed guards to push them forward towards the exhibit's backdoor. As the rest of the hostages were forced to watch the Watchdogs intimidate and push the innocent aliens through the exhibit's emergency exit, one of them, a Wakandan doctor, began hyperventilating loudly, drawing much attention to himself.

Unfortunately for the man, the Watchdogs noticed him sweat purple, a trait that's decidedly not human.

One of the terrorists pointed at the doctor and shouted, "Look there! That... thing is an Inhuman roach!"

"What?!", the doctor huffed as he saw the purple sweat off his skin. His nerves froze at that moment. "Oh no..."

The Supreme stared at the man with a cold, emotionless glare before he put on his helmet and told his men, "Get him."

Two Watchdogs stomped towards the Inhuman doctor as he tried to crawl away. Throwing their hands on him, one of the terrorists spoke, "Get up freak!"

"Please! No!", the Inhuman begged as the men dragged him to their collection of doomed aliens.

Before lead terrorist could give out the order to retreat, a violet flash suddenly exploded off to the history exhibit's entrance. All eyes were drawn to the flash as Vanee-Gast materialized out of thin air.

The Kree woman stumbled back and looked around her new surroundings in confusion before focusing on the terrorists pointing guns at her along with the armored Terran staring her down.

Vanee looked into the cold yellow eyes of the Terran's helmet as he said, "You never should have come here, Va."

"How the hell does he know my...", Vanee thought before she felt some force possessing her and forced words through her mouth, "Neither should you, Steve. You don't have to do this."

Steve Rogers scoffed, "No, I believe I do. You're Kree, Voyager. You should know the importance of making sure your race's rightful domain is safe from...", he took a quick look at the aliens he gathered, "... undesirable influences. Even better to make said undesirables useful for once in their damn lives."

"As I recall, you were the one who convinced me to turn away from all that when I defected from the empire," Vanee said with desperate tone, "'No peace can come from intolerance'. That's what you said when I first joined the Avengers even after... even after everything that I've done. You were an honorable man once, Steve. I beg you, let these people go. Turn yourself in, I'll even vouch for you!"

The former Captain America laughed at Vanee's pleas. "That was all an act. That whole 'truth, justice, and the American way' nice guy routine was just to make sure that you and the other so-called heroes did what I want. The only reason why I even let you on my team is because you were useful to me. I'm Hydra through and through, Va, and that's never gonna change! And I'll always put Earth first. No matter what."

The Supreme's words stabbed a deep wound into Vanee's heart. She sighed. "I wanted to believe that there was good in you, Steve. I know there is. Just let the hostages go and walk away, before I have do something we'll both regret."

Steve mocked, "I suppose that Super Patriot act wasn't all for nothing if it made you this much of a sap."

Vanee gritted her teeth. "I see you haven't ordered your men to attack me yet, Rogers. Did you decide to ditch your common sense with that act? Because you're starting to monologue like a cliche villain."

"I know you can wipe the floor with all my men. And as much as I hate to admit it, I know you can match me long enough for help to arrive. At this point, I'm just stalling."

"Stalling?"

Steve pointed behind Vanee. "For them."

Suddenly, two big hands grabbed Vanee's arms, pinning them to her side, before they lifted her up into the air. The figure holding her turned around and made her face a giant Terran wearing a gunmetal grey, domed helmet and an orange jumpsuit. The armored Terran cracked his knuckles and smiled before charging at Vanee, intending to ram the Kree hero with his helmet.

Vanee sharply inhaled a breath of air as she winced away in panic. However, she instinctively tapped into her powers and teleported away from the other Terran's grasp, causing his friend to ram him in the gut instead.

"Gah! Goddamnit Bulldozer!", the hurt Terran cursed , who happens to be a blonde wearing a red mask with a white uniform, as he stumbled back clutching his stomach, "Watch where you hit with that thing, you idiot!"

The armored Terran, Bulldozer, crossed his arms indignantly and yelled back, "Don't look at me, Piledriver! You're the one who forgot that blue broad can frickin teleport!"

While those two were bickering, Vanee teleported to the other side of the exhibit. Staggered and panicked she thought to herself, "This is getting crazy! Why am I even here? What was I even talking abou..."

Vanee's thoughts stopped as she realized that she had just teleported in front of group of three Watchdogs in front of five hostages huddled together behind a wax model of the first king of Wakanda. She let out a childish yelp as one of the Watchdogs pulled out his pistol to fire at her.

Vanee stuck her hands in front of her in a panic as the bullet raced towards her. But before the bullet could pierce her, Vanee's hands suddenly glowed violet, which projected a small aura around the lead projectile. The bullet then vanished in midair, only to reappear again only pointed at the shooter's thigh.

The Watchdog screamed in pain as he felt his own bullet tear a hole through his leg. The terrorist dropped his gun and collapsed to the floor before screaming his lungs out as he clutched his leg.

Vanee looked at what she had done with a confused look on her face. "How the hell..."

Another Watchdog then raised his assault rifle at Vanee, intending to fire.

"Oh, I am so dead!", Vanee thought before the mysterious force took ahold of her again. Through sheer instinct, Vanee reacted quicker than the rifle wielding Watchdog as she nimbly moved aside to dodge the three round burst he fired from his weapon. Vanee then reached out to swing her fist down at the Watchdog's weapon, forcing him to point the rifle into the floor and staggering him through the impact. She then swung a fist in a left hook across that Watchdog's cheek knocking him aside.

The last Watchdog in the group then raised his shotgun once he found a clear shot only for Vanee to swiftly raise her hand up and summon the violet glow once again. Then, the Watchdog's shotgun suddenly vanished out of his hands.

"What the hell?!", the Watchdog said in his confusion.

While the terrorist was distracted, Vanee moved in and landed a roundhouse kick across the side of his head. The impact forced the Watchdog to turn around and land on his knees. Vanee made use of this opening by moving down and punching the back of her opponent's head and smashing his face into the floor, knocking him out.

The Watchdog that Vanee had punched earlier got his second wind and pointed his rifle at her back. Before he could pull the trigger, Vanee suddenly teleported, leaving the would-be shooter befuddled as he scanned the area with his gun raised frantically.

It was then that Vanee reappeared in the air right above the last Watchdog's back. Vanee dropped down and hit her knee on the base of her opponent's neck, causing him to gasp in pain as the Watchdog was forced to lie on his stomach. While she was on top of him, Vanee smashed her fist in the back of his head, knocking the Watchdog out cold.

With this group of Watchdogs down, Vanee got up as she started panting due to the adrenaline in her blood. This actually excited her despite the fact that she really had no idea what she was doing for the past two minutes. Vanee was good fighter at boot camp, but she wasn't this good. She was performing advanced combat techniques that the young Kree had yet to master, and that's not mentioning all the powers that she now had out of the blue.

"What is going on?", Vanee mumbled to herself as she stared at her hands as if they belonged to someone else. She then noticed the meek whimpering of the hostages off to her side, most of them being too shocked to say anything. Vanee turned to them awkwardly and said, "Um... hello there Terran hostages. Uh, how are you?"

Vanee made a sharp look away from the hostages as she noticed the two ton wrecking ball swinging towards her. With a girlish scream, Vanee activated her powers once again to envelop both herself and the civilians in a violet aura. In less than a second, they all vanished, the only thing the wrecking ball smashed being the wax statue.

Vanee-Gast teleported herself and the hostages to the lobby right next to the front door. Everyone was dazed for a quick moment, but one of the hostages, a local volunteer, pointed at the front door and the lack of Watchdogs around them. "Out there! Let's go before more of them come!"

Vanee nodded meekly. "Yeah... you all... go do that!"

The hostages followed the volunteer out of the building. However, one of them, a shaken female visitor with a deceptively punk mohawk, came up to Vanee and told her, "Thank you, Voyager!"

Without warning, the civilian kissed Vanee in the cheek before running off. Vanee stood there for a moment frozen as her hand touched the spot where the grateful hostage had kissed her. The Kree hero blushed heavily.

"This... Minn-Erva doesn't need to know," she told herself.

CRACK!

Vanee suddenly screamed as wave of electricity overcame her, forcing her on her knees. Vanee turned around to see a man as bulky as Piledriver and Bulldozer only wearing a green jacket and a purple ski mask.

The man held an electrified crowbar in his hands as he laughed at the hero he had just electrocuted. "Bodyguarding is usually small potatoes for me and my Wrecking Crew, but Rogers promised me that I get to kill some Avengers while on the job. And well... how could I say no to the Captain?"

Vanee gritted her teeth and teleported. She reappeared above his back to slam her elbow to the base of this brute, but even her Kree strength wasn't enough to bring him down like the other Terrans. In fact, the strike managed to hurt Vanee's own elbow if anything.

"Shit!", Vanee cursed as she landed on her knees and clutched her hurt elbow.

The brute looked behind her and smiled. "Watch what you say, Voyager. As Cap would say... LANGUAGE!"

He then swung his crowbar in a backhanded swing, impacting it against Vanee's chest and sending her flying up the stairs. Vanee crashed on the floor of the lobby's atrium groaning in pain thanks to that crowbar strike.

"Damn it all...", Vanee whined as she got up to her feet, "Why didn't I bring a weapon before I came here?"

As if on cue, a Universal Weapon suddenly appeared in one of her hands. Vanee held up the weapon of the Accusers and gazed upon it with childlike wonder.

She laughed to herself. "I'm starting to like these weird powers."

"RAAAHH!" the brute yelled as he jumped high into the air with his magic crowbar at the ready.

Vanee instinctively pushed her Universal Weapon up, catching her enemy's crowbar as it clashed with the long handle of her hammer. The brute placed his feet on the ground as he pushed his crowbar against Vanee's hammer.

Vanee felt the mysterious force take over again as she said, "Siding with Nazis, Wrecker? That's a new low, even for you!"

The brute, Wrecker, merely smirked. "Cap offered my crew fifty mil to guard his green ass. If I knew that the job will lead me to you, I would've offered a discount! This is for locking me up in Pleasant Hill, you bitch!"

Wrecker then tried to punch Vanee while his other hand pushed against her hammer. However, Vanee had the same idea as she pushed one hand forward to catch Wrecker's fist.

The impact of Wrecker's punch made Vanee wince briefly in pain, but then she narrowed her eyes at the enraged D-list villain. "Payback is going to have to wait, Dirk."

Channeling violet energy into her hand, Vanee then used as much power as she could muster to coat Wrecker's entire body with a violet aura. Before the panicked Wrecker could react, he and his crowbar teleported away to parts unknown.

Once the immediate threat was dealt with, Vanee dropped to her knees as she felt a sharp pain ring in out the arm she used to block Wrecker's punch. She looked down and saw that some blue blood had already stained that part of her costume on the elbow, and she definitely felt a few bones crack when she caught Wrecker's punch. Even with her accelerated healing as a Kree, it's gonna take a while for this arm to recover. Until then, it's gonna sting like hell.

"Gah... Dirk? Pleasant Hill? What the hell is wrong with me? Why would those words make me feel guilty?", Vanee questioned herself before another thought was inserted into her mind. "I have to save the hostages!"

Vanee then teleported away.

She reappeared to the same spot the she first arrived on. Only this time, the alien hostages were missing and the remaining Watchdogs are joined by Bulldozer, Piledriver, and a dark skinned Terran wearing a green outfit and a yellow mask who was wielding the wrecking ball from before, which was attached to a crude chain. Vanee recognized him as Thunderball.

Vanee tried to hide her wounded arm as she silently winced and told Hydra Supreme, "Give me back those hostages, Steve! Turn yourselves in!"

"Tempting, but I have a counter offer," the Supreme said before motioning some of his Watchdogs to point their guns at the visibly panicked crowd. "Walk away, or these people's blood will be on your hands."

Vanee lifted up her hand to teleport the Watchdogs' guns away, but Steve fired a small circular device from his gauntlet while she was busy concentrating. The device stuck into her neck before administering a painful shock.

"Guaahh!", Vanee screamed as she cumpled into the floor.

While Voyager was paralyzed, the three remaining members of the Wrecking Crew walked over to the downed hero with less than benevolent looks in their eyes.

Piledriver said, "And we have our own counteroffer, Cap."

Thunderball dragged his crude weapon behind him as he finished, "We slaughter this bitch for letting those SHIELD assholes brainwash us!"

Hydra Supreme nodded. "Be my guest."

Vanee was surrounded by the remaining Wrecking Crew. While she laid helpless on the ground, Thunderball lifted his weapon high to deliver a lethal blow. Vanee closed her eyes, waiting for the crushing blow to come.

But it never does.

Thunderball was blindsided when a red and green figure suddenly phased out the ground and flew into the air, striking his chin with superhuman force. As Thunderball laid down on his back, the remaining two villains, frozen in shock, were suddenly covered in a scarlet aura.

"What the... gah!", Bulldozer screamed as he and Piledriver were pinned in place and crushed by the red energy. They were then lifted into the air and thrown at Steve Rogers' feet.

The figure that had punched Thunderball away floated back on the ground in front of Vanee to reveal a red android wearing a green outfit and a yellow cape. The woman who had telekinetically thrown the other two villains joined him and revealed herself as a Terran with long brunette hair and wearing a red uniform with a notable red tiara.

"W-Wanda. Vision?", Vanee said to herself astonished that she knew her rescuers' names.

Then, what looked to be a black and white fox creature in a small orange and black outfit knelt next to her with some kind of high-tech pen in one of his hands (paws?).

"This might sting a bit, boss," the creature said as the pen contacted the shock disk and let out a small EMP burst.

Vanee hissed in agony as the shock disk came off her. When the shocks subsided, Vanee sat back up and looked at the creature curiously.

She pointed at him. "Rocket. Your name... Rocket."

"Uh, yeah. My name Rocket," Rocket said in equal parts awkwardness and sarcasm, "Your name Vanee. Man, that disk must have messed you up more than I thought. Come on, boss, get up. We have a job to do. Don't let your momentary stupidity screw us up."

With a light push from the Rocket creature, Vanee stood back up on her feet. Wanda looked back at Vanee and approached her. She pulled up Vanee's arm, making her wince, as she used her other hand to project more of her red energy.

"Let's fix you up," Wanda spoke in an accent that Vanee couldn't place.

In a manner of seconds, a red glow shined upon Vanee's arm, closing her wounds and mending broken bones. After a sharp spike of pain, Vanee let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you... Wanda," Vanee told her with an appreciative smile.

Wanda smiled back before both women (plus the fox) joined Vision in confronting the former Captain America.

Vision told him, "It's over Rogers! The authorities have you surrounded. There is nowhere left to run. If you wish to survive, I recommend you surrender."

Steve gritted his teeth. "As long as at least one of us stands against you, there will be no surrender!", he shouted before he pulled out a laser pistol from his belt to fire a destructive ray at the heroes.

However, Vision countered with a laser blast from the yellow stone on his forehead. Vision's blast overpowered the Supreme's before it blasted the pistol. The pistol exploded in a cloud of smoke as Vision's blast cut through it and struck Steve's arm. Rogers clutched his charred arm as he cursed in pain.

He looked at the Watchdogs standing over the hostages and yelled, "Kill them!"

The Watchdogs lifted their weapons and took aim at the now screaming crowd.

Fortunately, a white streak of light phased through the door. At blinding speeds, the streak raced on top of the firing squad before exploding in a brilliant and blinding display of light. The luminous explosion blinded almost everyone in the room, including the Watchdogs.

Vanee managed to shield her eyes in time to see a figure floating where the streak had been. At first it looked like a woman seemingly made out of solid light if such a thing is possible. But then, the figure shed this form to reveal her true face. She was another Terran with dark skin and a long head of curly black hair. She wore a white uniform with a black star on her chest along with a pair of fingerless gloves and combat boots under a flowing black longcoat.

The flying woman... Monica flew straight into the ground before impacting it with fist. This move produced a shockwave of light as the impact sent the Watchdog firing squad flying.

As the firing squad staggered to get back up, Monica glared at Steve Rogers before saying, "Last chance Rogers! Stand down or get knocked down!"

Steve grunted before telling all his men, "Watchdogs! Stand your ground! Buy time for the vans to escape!"

The remaining Watchdogs grouped up around the Supreme as they began firing at both the heroes and the crowd. Wanda projected a red forcefield around her group to shield them while Monica projected a white forcefield to protect the civilians.

Rocket tugged at Vanee's sleeve and said, "Things are going straight to hell boss! What are we gonna do?!"

"Why are you asking me?"

Vision answered, "You are the team leader, remember?

"I am?", Vanee asked before memories of her fighting with these people fill her mind, "Oh yes! I am!"

After quickly surveilling their situation, Vanee told her teammates, "Our first priority has to be the civilians! Rocket, Vision. Engage the enemy head on. Wanda, you're with me. Help me get the hostages to safety."

"Understood!", Wanda then looked back at Vision and Rocket. She asked, "You ready?"

Rocket climbed up to Vision's shoulder before pulling out an automatic laser pistol. With an eager smile, he said, "Hell yeah! Time to put down some dogs!"

Wanda nodded before wrapping Vanee in a red aura. "Let's go then."

She then telekinetically lifted both herself and Vanee into air as they flew towards Monica and the hostages, moving her barrier with them. With Wanda's barrier away from the men, the Watchdogs began concentrating their fire at what looks like a softer target. However, Vision willed his robotic body to become dense enough to deflect all of their wasted bullets.

Now practically impervious to harm, Vision then flew towards the Watchdog formation while Rocket fired blindly from his bulletproof perch. His laser barrage riddled two Watchdogs with searing holes as the rest scattered for cover around the exhibit. The Supreme was the only one who didn't move from his spot as he lifted up his shield to protect himself from the laser bolts.

Vision then picked speed as he flew straight towards the Supreme. Rocket jumped off his back before finding cover behind the base of an exhibit as Vision charged at Steve Rogers and struck his shield with his shoulder, causing him to grit his teeth as the android dragged him across the floor with super strength.

Wanda and Vanee flew into Monica's forcefield as the latter told her, "We'll take it from here, Monica. Back up the boys."

"Right, I'll...", Monica started to say before she saw Piledriver, Bulldozer, and Thunderball get back up, staggered but pissed enough to want to start another fight. Monica sighed. "I'll take care of these idiots."

Monica let her forcefield dissipate as Wanda's forcefield took over the protection of the helpless civilians. Monica then blasted off right towards what's left of the Wrecking Crew at light speed. She distracted the three brutes by flying circles around them and firing lasers from her hands. Piledriver, Bulldozer, and Thunderball lumbered around crudely trying to hit Monica, but as she was moving as fast as light, all the three brutes accomplished was hitting air as their enemy landed a few good hits in.

In the energy bubble Wanda erected, Vanee looked at the mass of hostages and told them, "Alright people, gather around me. I'll get you all to safety!"

Reluctantly, the hostages began to gather around Voyager, surrounding her. Once everyone is gathered, Vanee whispered to herself, "How did I do this again? I guess I have to improvise."

Vanee lifted her hands up as they along with her eyes began to glow violet. The Kree hero began to audibly groan as she willed a violet aura to surround both herself and the hostages. With a pained shout, Vanee vanished along with the hostages.

Meanwhile, Rocket had just finished gunning down the last Watchdog when he noticed his teammate, Monica, flying all over the Wrecking Crew. Monica slowed down in midair to charge a light ray before firing it at Piledriver, hitting him with enough force to hurl him through a wall and made him crash into a counter in a neighboring kitchen.

While Monica was distracted with knocking out Piledriver, Thunderball hurled his wrecking ball at Monica. She reacted quickly enough to transform into her energy form to phase through the wrecking ball. But when she reverted back into her normal human form, Bulldozer tackled Monica out of the air and pinned her to the floor.

Bulldozer was ready to deliver a devastating headbutt on Monica. However, he was interrupted by a barrage of lasers. Thanks to his superhuman strength and armor, Bulldozer was merely tickled by this attack. Bulldozer let go of Monica as he used his hands to shield himself like one does to block out sunlight.

He glared at Rocket as he continued to fire at him. "It's gonna take a lot more than some sci-fi peashooter to take me down!"

"I ain't trying to!", Rocket snarked as he stopped firing, "I'm just a distraction ya big turd blossom!"

"What?", Bulldozer said before looking down to see Monica glowing with charged energy. With a mighty shout, Monica threw her hands up and fired a powerful blast of energy. "WUUAAAHH!", he yelled as the blast sent Bulldozer through the ceiling and deposited his unconscious form on the roof.

Monica took a moment to breathe as Rocket scurried up next to her on all fours. She took a quick look at her teammate and said, "I had that handled."

"I know," Rocket said chuckling, "I just felt like shooting that Juggernaught wannabe."

Monica laughed back, but then a wrecking ball came down on top of them.

Thankfully, Monica reacted in time to grab Rocket her arms and fly away fast enough to just avoid the giant metal ball. However, a stream of electricity then burst out of the wrecking ball to shock both Monica and Rocket, sending them both plummeting into the ground.

As the two screamed in agony, Thunderball allowed his wrecking ball to sit in place as he dragged himself and his chain towards the heroes he was currently torturing.

"Once again, it falls upon me to finish the job," Thunderball started to say, "I am the brains of this crew, and these idiots would fall apart without me, but do they appreciate all the time and effort I put into our jobs? Of course not! They want Dirk to lead. Dirk! Some anti-social janitor from hillbilly county over me! Me! Eliot Franklin! The greatest nuclear physicist of my generation! I should've been leading the Wrecking Crew, not that purple jackass! This latest failure is just another example on a whole list of Dirk Garthwaite's blunders as team leader! In fact, where the hell is he?! You know what, I'm sick of it! After I'm done wasting you two, I'm out! While the others are busy sitting around in yet another prison, I'll be out making a name for myself! I'll make a new and improved Wrecking Crew, and the others will beg me to become part of it! Thunderball will be the next great criminal mastermind! They'll see! You all will see! Time to die, heroes! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Thunderball raised his fist to finish off the heroes while they are down, but then a red energy bolt struck his chest, knocking him down and forcing him to let go of the chain. The wrecking ball stopped generating electricity, allowing the two heroes to take a small breather from the pain. While Thunderball is on the ground, a red burst of energy slammed into the next great criminal mastermind so hard that he was sent tunneling through the floor and was buried about twenty feet into the earth.

Wanda flew next to her friends and asked them, "You guys alright?"

Monica groaned and nodded. "We're good. I shielded us from that asshole's lightning," Monica said before wincing, "Most of it, anyway."

Rocket panted heavily. "I don't know what hurts more. Getting shocked by that Piledriver freak or listening to his insecure rant."

"I think that was Thunderball, actually."

Rocket rolled his eyes. "I don't freakin' care."

Back with Vision, he was busy fighting of Hydra Supreme after he threw himself and his former ally up a level into an office space.

Despite being down an arm, the Supreme tried to swing his shield at the android, but Vision went intangible just in time to avoid the strike. This swing left Steve vulnerable enough for Vision to grab his shield arm and bend it upward in a 45 degree angle. The Supreme gasped in pain before he tried to break himself away from Vision's grip by kicking him in the shin. Despite his Enhanced strength, however, Steve Rogers' kick failed to phase the nigh invulnerable android. As the pain spiked harder, Steve tried kicking him there again only to have the same result. Now desperate, Steve then struck Vision in the face with his injured hand only to recoil in pain while Vision just narrowed his eyes on his former teammate turned traitor.

"Unless you want to subject yourself to more pain, I suggest you surrender."

Between the pained gasps, Steve let out a laugh. "For a... hyper-intelligent, ugh... robot, you... seem to have missed one key... detail."

"What detail?"

"You didn't notice me placing a shock disk on your head."

Before Vision had a chance to react to this new piece of information, the aforementioned shock disk administered a precise jolt of electricity. This shock overloaded Vision's systems, causing him to let go of Steve Rogers and flop to the ground like a dying fish.

While his opponent was down and paralyzed, Hydra Supreme panted heavily as he slowly walked towards Vision.

Looking down at his former teammate, Steve lifted up his shield and said, "If you have a soul, please give my regards to Rick Jones."

Hydra Supreme was ready to bring down his shield and slice open Vision's head with the pointy end of his vibranium kite shield. However, one of Vision's friends rushed into his aid.

CLANG!

A big warhammer slammed into the Supreme's chestplate. The force sent Steve Rogers flying into the air and crashing into cubicle desk. With his armor now dented, the Supreme rolled out of the cubicle to find Vanee standing protectively over her teammate.

She looked at Vision and asked, "You okay?"

Vision nodded as he spoke with a glitched voice, "I n-ee-ed 4 poi-poi-point 5-5 min-utes to... recover."

"Just rest easy, I got this," Vanee said before walking over to Steve Rogers while gripping her hammer even tighter. "I wanted to talk you out of this Steve, but that would be a waste of breath wouldn't it?"

"Of course it would," Steve said before putting his shield in front of him and charging towards Vanee.

She responded by running towards him as well at full speed, but at the second before the two collided, Vanee disappeared. The Supreme, however, anticipated that move and stopped dead at his tracks before quickly turning around and putting up his shield. Sure enough, Vanee reappeared, now in front of him, to slam her Universal Weapon against his shield.

The force of the impact sent the two combatants recoiling backward for a moment as a shockwave shook the entire room. After that brief respite, Vanee went back on the offensive again as she bashed her hammer continually at Steve, who managed to parry each strike with a block of his shield. Vanee allowed her instincts to take over her as she fought, which allowed her to swing her heavy warhammer with swift and savage blows thanks to her super strength, resulting in strikes that had both weight and speed riding behind them. Despite his Enhanced strength and reflexes, Steve was only barely keeping up with Vanee's punishing hammer strikes.

Vanee then swung her hammer in an overhead strike to which Steve responded raising his shield upward to block it. While Vanee was busy bearing her weight down on the shield, Steve quickly used his opponent's intense focus as an opportunity to quickly throw the hammer off his shield in a sudden and decisive push, staggering his enemy back a little. This created an opening for him to move in and slice into Vanee's side with the pointy end of his shield.

Vanee winced as she instinctively jumped back and held her bleeding side in pain. Panting heavily, Steve took this respite to hang back to conserve his energy and power through the intense pain wracking his body.

"All these years in the Avengers, and what exactly have we accomplished, Vanee?", Steve asked in between pained breaths, "Super criminals running about wreaking havoc. Mutants and Inhumans carving pieces of the planet for themselves. Alien invasions every other month. We were only ever reacting to these disasters rather than getting at the cause of it all! At least in Hydra, we did something about it!"

"So your grand solution to save humanity is to turn Earth into a police state? Whatever happened to just doing the right thing?"

"Still so naive, Va," Steve said sneering, "Sometimes you just have to do the wrong thing at the right time to save everything that matters!"

"You truly are a lost cause," Vanee said before thrusting her hammer forward to fire a concussive pulse at Steve. The Supreme staggered back as he used his shield to block out most of the pulse. "And I'm done holding back for you!"

Vanee's Universal Weapon began to glow with violet sparks as she swung it forward, firing a heavy energy bolt at Steve, which he blocked but not without great difficulty. Vanee then fired another energy blast... and then another and another. Each time Vanee fired a blast she drew closer and closer to the traitor Avenger. Steve struggled to parry each blast as he felt the force bruising his elbow and cracking bone.

Eventually, Steve's arm gave out as it hung low near the ground after one last energy blast from Vanee, who was now within arm's reach of him. Vanee then swung her hammer down across the Supreme's shield arm. The hit was a glancing blow that shattered Steve's arm across his shoulder as the hammer's momentum caused it to swipe his shield away, dropping it into the floor.

Steve screamed as he felt his arm dislocate from his shoulder with the only reason why it wasn't outright severed being his armor. Despite the pain, Rogers gritted his teeth, grabbed his arm, and shoved the bone back into his shoulder with an audible pop. He then looked at Vanee with pure venom before charging towards her again.

Despite the biting pain pulsing through his body, Steve managed to muster enough willpower to swing at Vanee. However, she teleported the second before the fist collided with her face. Vanee reappeared to the left, on Steve's blindside, before swinging her hammer at his head. The Universal Weapon crashed against the metal of Steve's helmet as its metal dented like cheap plastic and the left lens shattering to reveal one of Steve's blue eyes.

Steve's head started to spin as Vanee rested her weapon on the ground before she stepped in and did a backflip, landing a kick across the Supreme's chin. Steve was launched into the air, his busted helmet now slipping from his head, before he landed back on the floor with a loud thud.

Vanee landed next to her Universal Weapon, where she immediately picked it back up. She then walked towards the heavily beaten Steve Rogers as he squirmed pitifully on the ground and spitting out blood. Steve tried to get back up only for Vanee to quickly rush at him and pinned his chest to the floor with her hammer.

At that moment, Vision got up and stood by his teammate. Wanda, Monica, and Rocket also came upstairs after defeating their opponents to stand by Vanee. All the heroes looked down at the Hydra Supreme- Vision looking at him with his stone glowing, Wanda with her hands charged with red energy, Monica transforming into her energy form, and Rocket pointing his laser gun at him- in a silent statement that resistance is futile.

Steve rolled his eyes. "Never thought I'd be on the other end of this pose..."

Vanee removed her hammer from him, and Wanda lifted him up in the air with telekinesis. She forced the defeated Supreme on his knees as Rocket came up to him with a pair of specialized cuffs that covered both of his hands entirely and locked them together.

The fox snarked, "Don't try to break out of these, Captain Duchebag. Not even the Hulk can break them, and you'll get a little shock if you try. On second thought, try to get away. I dare you. Hehehe..."

Steve Rogers scoffed. "Enjoy this victory while you can, Avengers. Hydra will live on even after you lock me up. Cut off one head..."

"Two more take its place. How original," Monica remarked.

"You seem offly smug for someone who dropped the ball on saving the aliens I abducted. My men should be long gone by now."

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the other side of the room.

"Actually, they're all safe. You on the other hand...", a purple arrow then raced through the air and stuck itself into one of Steve Rogers' eyes. Steve let out a meek groan before falling over dead. The other heroes looked on in shock before turning to whoever shot the arrow.

He was a light skinned Terran with brown hair. He was wearing a sleeveless black combat suit with a purple arrow insignia wrapped around his chest and back. He wore a purple mask that covered his entire face with red lenses over his eyes. Vanee knew this man as Clint Barton.

Monica glared at him angrily and shouted, "What the hell did you do?!"

"What I had to," Clint responded coldly, "What he deserved."

Vision told him more calmly, "He could have given us information about Hydra's remnants."

Clint replied, "Steve Rogers talking? Give me a break. It's safer to just kill him."

"That wasn't your call to make!", Wanda added.

"I don't care."

While the rest of the team chewed Clint out, Vanee knelt down next to Steve's body as she looked sadly at his blank, dead face. Holding back a tear, Vanee reached over and closed her former friend's one intact eye.

"Goodbye...", she said under her breath as she allowed a single tear to run across her cheek. Vanee didn't know why the death of some Terran terrorist hurt her so badly. It wasn't like she had trained under him, fought by his side for years, relied upon him for advice during hard times, nor did they risked their lives for each other time and time again. His death shouldn't affect her like... it wasn't fair. Despite everything Steve had done, Vanee held out hope, no matter how vain, that her friend would see the light again.

But now he never will.

Wanda looked down on Vanee and took pity on her. She knelt down and comforted Vanee by placing her hand on her shoulder. The rest of the Avengers waited together for the police to enter the scene. Clint simply looked down and sighed before he left the building on his own.

* * *

After being questioned by the police, Vanee decided to call it a day and go back home. Everyone in her team that had stuck around tried give their team leader their condolences, but they ultimately didn't help Vanee much even if she appreciated them. She just wanted to go back home to her family and put this day behind her.

Vanee didn't feel like teleporting back home after running herself tired during the fight, so she called a taxi. Apparently, the company that picked her up gave a discount for superheroes. On the way from Manhattan to her home at Queens, Vanee found herself deep in thought as she looked idly out the window.

When Vanee first set foot on that pod, she never could have imagined that any of this could be her life. She had started as a blindly loyal Kree soldier, a living weapon and a spy, but C-53... Earth made her a hero. These Terrans... her friends helped her to become a better person. Vanee had been a founding member of the Avengers along with Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Ant-Man, and the Wasp. As the years went by, the Avengers would become like a second family to her.

Even after she had betrayed them and the entire planet to the Kree Empire, the Avengers had taken her back and gave her a second chance. Vanee will always be grateful to them for that even if she felt that she didn't deserve it sometimes. That's probably why Vanee wanted to redeem Steve Rogers so badly. He was the one who had convinced her to sabotage the Kree Empire's occupation of Earth after all.

"But I guess it was all a lie, huh?", Vanee thought wistfully, "I suppose you can't redeem someone who doesn't want to be redeemed..."

Steve's betrayal hurt the entire Avengers when he helped Hydra infiltrate SHIELD for years before leading them in the takeover of America under the fascistic United Confederacy.

Vanee had been offworld at the time. She had just participated in Maria Hill's Pleasant Hill experiment, which rewrote the minds of several supervillains in order to make them less dangerous and become productive members of society. Vanee had thought it was a worthwhile idea at the time, so she had eagerly helped Hill by turning over the criminals she had captured to her.

Vanee really believed that she was in the right... until she saw Maria Hill mind wiping her teammate, Sam Wilson, just for witnessing her experiment. It was only then that Vanee realized the true danger of this program, so she helped the Avengers take down Pleasant Hill. However, the guilt of her involvement in that horrific program would not leave her, so Vanee had decided to take a short break on Xandar to come to terms with her past actions.

Now, Vanee wished that she hadn't fallen apart when she did. While she was away, Hydra took over SHIELD and overthrew the US government. The entire country fell to facism as Hydra persecuted innocent mutants, Inhumans, and aliens and began a ruthless campaign across the globe. Many of Earth's greatest defenders were tricked into going offworld to stop a Chitauri invasion as Steve erected a planetary forcefield to keep them out. It was a mess.

It was a miracle that the remainder of Vanee's friends managed to overthrow the power mad Hydra Supreme at all given the circumstances. Vanee didn't even know that all this even happened until she returned to Earth a month later. After witnessing all the destruction Hydra caused and all the lives lost while she was offworld, Vanee's guilt worsened.

In the aftermath of the Hydra takeover, Vanee-Gast was at her lowest point in her life, and she felt unworthy to be called a hero. She put her heroics on pause for a while as she reexamined her life.

And then a power hungry Greek goddess named Nyx tried to plunge the entire universe in eternal darkness.

With the Avengers in disarray and dealing with the fallout of the Steve's betrayal, Vanee was forced to take the initiative and gather a team of her own in order to take the fight to Nyx on Olympus. After a perilous and surprisingly introspective journey through a dream dimension to secure a magical Macguffin, Vanee managed to come to terms with the guilt that she had been carrying. Once Nyx had been dealt with, Vanee came out of this adventure with a new lease on life and a newly forged team of Avengers made up of her closest friends, which coincidentally are the same team that helped her with Steve Rogers today.

The guilt from her past actions will always stay with her, and Steve's death will haunt her for years to come. But after looking back at these past few years, Vanee believed that she will move past her failure to redeem Steve one day. It helps that she has a good support network of friends and family to help her with that.

"I was lucky to be chosen for Project Voyager all those years ago. It led me to better things despite all the pain that came with it. No matter what happens, I'll always have that," Vanee said to herself before her mind drifted to that fateful day in that pod. She was so naive back then. So eager to serve the Kree Empire. Looking back, it was a miracle that she was chosen at all given her family history. Vanee felt lucky that the empire didn't know that she was a lesbian, otherwise... "Wait. The Supreme Intelligence... knew that I had a girlfriend. No... I didn't come out of the closet until years after I stepped out of that pod. After I came out of the pod... I can't remember anything after that. In fact... I can't remember anything before I joined the Avengers. That can't be... what's going on?"

Her thoughts were interrupted, however, when the cab driver stopped the car and told her, "End of the line, Voyager."

Vanee snapped from her daze as she looked out the window to see her apartment building. As she opened the door, Vanee said, "Uh, yeah. Thanks for the ride."

"Always happy to help out an Avenger."

Vanee closed the door behind her as she walked into the building. As she entered the lobby, Vanee started to remember her life before joining the Avengers. She remembered all of the military operations she participated in against both the Skrulls and the Nova Corps. She remembered receiving specialized espionage and combat training from both Starforce and the Accuser Corps. And most importantly, Vanee remembered adopting the human persona, "Valerie Vector", in order to infiltrate Earth's heroes and destroy them from within after her people were repeatedly thwarted by both Captain Marvel and the Fantastic Four. The mission that led her to become a true hero.

Everything seemed to be at its proper order.

"Perhaps that other life was just a dream..."

* * *

Once she entered her room, Vanee found her adoptive daughter sitting anxiously in her living room couch. Next to her was Mari-Ell, now old and grey, holding her granddaughter as she anxiously waited for her mother to come home.

After Vanee closed the door behind her, Obee turned her head towards her and immediately a big smile replaced her nervous expression. Obee jumped out of Mari's arms as she ran towards Vanee like an excited puppy. She jumped into Vanee's arms as the latter picked up and embraced her warmly.

"Mommy!", Obee cheered as she wrapped her arms around her mother's neck.

Mari walked up to her daughter and granddaughter with a proud smile on her face. "Told you she's okay."

Vanee looked at her now much older mother with confusion as she asked, "Mom? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for you, of course," Mari said with a lighthearted laugh, "And for my daughter-in-law. You gave me an invitation, and I would be a terrible mother if I missed your big day."

"Big day?", Vanee said looking at her with confusion.

"Your wedding, of course."

Vanee was stunned silent by her mother's words.

Mari looked at her concerned. "I wanted to arrive in time for your rehearsal dinner. We talked about it last night. Sweetheart, did you hit your head during your fight? Do you want me to drive you to the hospital?"

Vanee shook her head. "No, no... I'm fine. Just... scatterminded, I suppose. Have been since this morning, it seems."

"You probably forgot to take your meds. I know you don't like taking them, but like Doc Sampson said, you need take two every morning. Do you want me to get them for you?"

"No, I'm good. I'll look for my... meds on my own," Vanee said playing along, "I suppose I shouldn't get sick before my rehearsal dinner, right?"

Obee laughed. "Do you think mama will let me eat ice cream for dinner?"

"Maybe. I'll ask her," Vanee said before putting her little girl back on the floor. She looked her mother and asked, "Where is my... fiancee?"

"She's in the shower. You can... join her, if you want," Mari said awkwardly as she carefully chose her words in front of the six year old Obee.

"Why would they want to do that? Won't they get crowded if they bathed together?", Obee asked innocently. Perhaps Mari didn't choose her words carefully enough.

Mari sighed. "I'll tell you when you're older, sweetie."

As Mari picked up her granddaughter and moved her back to the couch, Vanee walked over to her room. Before she could walk through the door, Mari told Vanee, "Before I forget, Car-Ell told me that she can't make it to your wedding tomorrow. SWORD is keeping her too busy, I guess. She sends her regards and her apologies."

Vanee paused for a moment as she processed why that name sounded so familiar. After a brief second, Vanee remembered the person behind that name and nodded at her mother. "I get it. I'll tell my... sister all about the ceremony. Later."

She then entered the room and began hearing the sounds of water hitting the floor from her bathroom as well as steam creeping out the door.

As she paced into her bedroom, Vanee took a deep breath and thought, "Why did I forget my little sister back there? I shouldn't... forget something like that. For that matter, I shouldn't have forgotten my past, the Avengers, my friends... and especially my baby girl. Maybe mom was right. I need to take my meds."

Vanee then walked over to her nightstand. She took out a bottle of pills from the shelf and opened it to shove two small, blue pills into her mouth. Once she swallowed them, Vanee felt the storm inside her mind beginning to calm down. The memories of that other life began to drift away and fade like passing dream. In their place, her true memories began to take their proper place in the forefront of her mind.

The false memories aren't completely gone, but at least now, Vanee knew what was real. She just needs to remember to take a pill or two every morning.

Vanee then heard the shower in her bathroom shut off. She looked at the partially open door and smiled.

Vanee walked to it and opened the door to feel the humidity of the room wash over her like a calm shower. She stepped inside to see her blue-skinned fiancee, now a lot older with a few gray hairs but still as beautiful as ever. She had a towel wrapped around her naked and partially dry body as she stood in front of a mirror and dried her long black hair with a blow dryer.

Vanee felt her heart skip a beat and she moved in to wrap her arms around the love of her life. Around Minn-Erva.

Minn-Erva felt her fiancee's arms wrap around behind her as Vanee rested her chin on her shoulder. Minn let out a light chuckle as she turned off the blow dryer. "I heard you had quite the morning, my love."

"I did," Vanee said as she placed a kiss on the crook of her love's neck. She then looked down sadly as she said, "Steve is dead."

Minn-Erva sighed as she turned around in Vanee's arms to look her beloved in the eyes. "I'm sorry. I know how much he meant to you despite... everything."

"I know he was never really my friend, never truly a hero. I know everything he ever told me was a lie, but... I'm gonna miss him. I'll miss him a lot," Vanee said as tears started to flow down her eyes, "A small part of me hoped that he could be redeemed one day, but... I know better. I feel so stupid..."

Minn-Erva cupped her lover's cheek with her hand as she spoke softly, "You are not stupid, Va. You wanted to see the best in your friend. You should never fault yourself for wanting to give him a chance to redeem himself. It's what makes you a hero."

Vanee chuckled. "That's offly optimistic of you."

"I used to assassinate people for the Kree Empire before I joined the good guys. It would be hypocritical of me to judge you for wanting to give another murderer a second chance."

"I blew my second chance... and my third and fourth...", Vanee said reflecting on her past mistakes.

"But you always try to make things right no matter what," Minn-Erva replied, "It's why I fell in love with you."

"I thought you liked me for my wicked good looks?", Vanee teased.

Minn-Erva let out a low chuckled as she stared at her love's soft and inviting lips. "That's part of it, I admit."

She moved in to kiss her. Vanee smiled into the kiss as she closed her eyes and lost herself in her beloved's lips. Vanee slipped a hand to slide over Minn's exposed thigh as she deepened her kiss.

Vanee had other lovers before, but none of them had the connection she shared with Minn-Erva. She had known this woman ever since she was a child in Hala. They've seen each other through almost every hardship, and they were always there for one another. They know everything about each other, both the good and the bad and they accept each other all the same. She has practically loved Minn-Erva her entire life, even before she knew she liked women. Perhaps that is the reason why Minn-Erva was the one Vanee proposed to after coming to terms with herself in Olympus.

There was no other woman she would rather be with.

The two separated their kiss. Vanee gave Minn-Erva a fond smile as she said, "I love you 3000."

"You're such a dufus," Minn-Erva said laughing, "And I love you 4000."

Vanee simply laughed back and moved in for another kiss. Her wedding day couldn't come fast enough.

Unbeknownst to either of them, however, the nightstand that held Vanee's medicine briefly glitched out of reality like TV static.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That took a lot longer than I thought, but at least I'm now finished.
> 
> After years of buildup we are finally one chapter away from the wedding between Voyager and Minn-Erva! It's been a wild ride writing these two lovebirds and the crazy journey they had over the years. I admit, they had some road bumps over the years as well as some creative blunders on my end. I don't think I need to remind you all of Vanee's rather lackluster fling with Psylocke a couple years back. Even I can't excuse their utter lack of chemistry. I would've erased that relationship from my canon if it weren't for the fact that it was an integral plot point to my Avengers vs Justice League story.
> 
> Thankfully, I got to break them up during my adaptation of AvX, so that I could get back to the pairing we all liked to see. Admittedly, that involved killing off blonde Valkyrie to get Minnie single, but I think the pathos was worth it. Besides, we had Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie to replace her, so it's all good.
> 
> Now, some of you may find my decision to kill Hydra Cap off like that to be a waste of that character, but truth is that I really had no ideas left for Steve Rogers after the climactic battle in my Secret Empire adaptation. I know you guys loved my take on that storyline and how much of a well-rounded character Hydra Cap turned out to be in that story, but I honestly don't know how to top him taking over America to justify having him still be out there as a major threat. I really should've just let him die when Nitro blew up the Triskelion. You know as a karma thing as Steve brainwashed him to stir up hatred against mutants. Ah, the road not taken.
> 
> At least this way, Steve and Vanee got to have their confrontation given the relationship the two developed over the years. And Steve did get a karmatic death by being killed off unceremoniously by Hawkeye. I suppose the guy needs some catharsis after Steve sent Black Widow to kill off his entire family.
> 
> Man, my stories go into some dark places now that I think about it.
> 
> But I assure you that next chapter will be nothing like that. It will be all fluff and good feels with both the rehearsal dinner and the actual wedding itself. There will be no dead families this time, I assure you.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for the read. Have a nice day and a happier pride month.


	8. Wedding Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The long awaited marriage between Vanee-Gast and Minn-Erva!
> 
> I can't stress how grateful I am to you guys for all your support over the years. I've loved writing for Voyager for all that time because you guys seemed to love the story of an alien double agent who often screws up but still comes out a hero. I'm grateful for your support and feedback throughout these various and epic storylines, and I'm glad we get to close off this era of the story with something fluffy and fun.
> 
> Hopefully my worse instincts don't kick in, and I decide to kill off another family again for cheap pathos or give Vanee another boring romance with another hot, yet incompatible superheroine. But I doubt you all came here to read my ramblings.
> 
> So without further ado, here is the finale of...
> 
> ...
> 
> What the hell was I just talking about?

Vanee-Gast slowly opened her eyelids as she was roused from her sleep. However, both her eyes were suddenly widened as terror struck Vanee.

She was floating in some kind of red void, but in her line of sight, she could see pieces of herself, her own body parts, floating around. They were floating around as if pinched off like clay, and Vanee looked down at her own body to see that she only had her upper torso. Her right arm was completely gone, and her left arm was cut from the elbow.

"What the hell is happening to me?!", Vanee yelled with a shuddered breath. The last thing she remembered was going to bed with her fiancee. How did she get like this? Is she hallucinating? No, this felt too real to be an illusion. "I need to get back to my wife! My daughter! I need to... if I don't get back to the barracks by morning, Sergeant Yon-Rogg will... no, I already graduated from Starforce Academy. Did I?"

Vanee was so sure that those scattered thoughts had been dealt with, but now they returned with a vengeance. 15 years of this strange, alternate life started to get crumpled inside her mind along with her 74.

Instead of being the star pupil in both boot camp and Starforce Academy, Vanee was now a troubled outcast with only two friends and a bully who wasn't there before. Instead of waiting until adulthood to realize her true sexuality, Vanee knew in her teenage years and started a secret romance with Minn-Erva then. The Supreme Intelligence now manifested as her mother instead of her grandmother and namesake, Vanee-Ell, during their talks, and it had blackmailed Vanee into Project Voyager instead of her just volunteering. And most disturbing of all, Vanee remembered dying inside that pod...

"Goddamnit! What's going on?", Vanee groaned in agony as she felt her mind being ripped apart, "Gah! The medicine was suppose to make this all go away! The medicine... medicine? I never needed medicine before. Did I?"

**"Actually... you do. You really do."**

Vanee heard a terrible, distorted voice. It sent chills down her spine as the owner of that voice floated right in front of her. The speaker was some kind of ghost. It was made out of a wispy, violet light. The figure was vaguely feminine and it barely kept its shape as it moved. It wore some kind of ethereal cloak, and most disturbing of all, its eyes were shined a blinding azure and resembled those belonging to a decaying body.

Vanee hyperventilated at the sight of the phantom. She has certainly fought bigger and badder villains over the years, but with her body immobilized... wait, did she defeated actual supervillains in the past? But she's just a cadet... no, she's an Avenger.

Right?

**"I can see you're confused,"** the phantom said with a surprising level of civility. It was holding one of Vanee's hands by the wrist, now miraculously reconstructed.  **"But there is no need to panic. This will all be over soon."**

"What does it mean by that?", Vanee thought as panic began to set in within her.

Without warning, the phantom grabbed Vanee's left stump and shoved the arm it held into it. When the two masses of flesh collided, a blinding light erupted within the gap as Vanee's arm began to forcibly fuse itself back to its owner. As Vanee screamed and felt her flesh and bone mutilate itself, her arm mystically fused into her stump.

When the pain subsided, Vanee let out a couple relieved pants as she lifted up her left arm. It was now whole again and functional, though it was shaking heavily. Vanee looked back at the phantom as started to caress her cheek, making the poor girl feel very uncomfortable.

**"Do not worry, Vanee. I am here to help you. Just lay back and sleep once more. Enjoy my gift to you."**

"How do you know my...", Vanee started to say until the phantom's hand slid from her cheek to tap her forehead. This small tap caused Vanee's mind to go blank as her eyes rolled up before closing entirely.

* * *

"What do you think, Va?", a male voice called out to her.

Vanee opened her eyes to find herself inside a fancy restaurant. It was packed to the brim with celebrating guests with a banner overhead reading, "Congratulations!"

She was currently sitting in a round table with five others. The man addressing her, who was a Terran with black hair and a goatee, was sitting across from Vanee as he said, "Well?"

Vanee shook her and pinched her temple as she felt her brain pulse with pain. She felt that she was thinking about something important earlier, but she can't quite remember what. She told the man, "I... I'm sorry. What was the question?"

Next to the black haired Terran was a significantly older and grayer man, who told her, "Tony here was asking whether or not he would've beaten Loki on his own in our first mission together with his newfangled Bleeding Edge armor. I called him out on his bullshit and is now looking at you for some validation."

Tony scoffed. "I don't need anyone's validation, Hank. It's just a cold hard fact that Model 37 can beat anyone singlehandedly. I designed the nanotech to adapt to any situation, and the armor can tank a hit from the Hulk. That thing's a goddamn masterpiece."

Vanee nodded. "That does sound pretty impre..."

"And yet Thanos was able to wipe the floor with you on Titan," Hank interrupted her.

"To be fair, he had all of the Infinity Stones," Tony countered, "And do you honestly think your Yellowjacket suit would've done any better?"

"That suit took down Ultron and Kang the Conqueror thank you very much!", Hank barked back, "And unlike any of your clunky pieces of scrap metal, the Yellowjacket can pack a lot of punch  _and_ our enemies don't see me coming when I kick their asses!"

"Right, because a bright yellow color scheme practically screams 'stealth'," Tony gabbed back, "And when you actually have to put up an honest fight, all you got is a couple of blasters whereas Model 37 has a weapon for every occasion."

"First of all, those blaster can cut through adamantium. And second of all, it's better to get the drop on your enemies rather than waste half the city to take them down. Isn't that right, Va?"

"Um...", Vanee said uncomfortably. Not wanting to choose between her two  _very_ prideful friends, she quickly tried to find someone to take the heat for her instead. She looked at the blonde, bearded man sitting off to her left and said, "Thor! What do you think?"

The Asgardian finished his pint of ale before answering, "Well, I think both your weapons are valued tools in our fight against evil... but I think we both know that my new golden hammer would've allowed me to defeat all our previous enemies on my own. Especially Loki."

From there, the three comrades started to argue about the superiority of their own respective arsenals. Thankfully, they left the remaining three of the original Avengers out of there pissing contest.

Vanee shook her head. "Why are they always like this?"

"They're drunk," an older woman told Vanee with an amused chuckle.

"At least they're not starting a civil war over this," Bruce Banner said sipping a cup of Earl Grey, "Or shooting each other into space."

The older woman, Janet Van Dyne, said to Vanee, "You know, you used to join their little shouting matches back in the day. You were really fond of that alien hammer of yours."

"It's a family heirloom, Jan," Vanee told her softly, "And I suppose my pride died off a long time ago. I made so many mistakes over the years... it's hard to have much of a self-esteem after that."

"Yeah, you did sold us out to the Kree when this team first got started," Bruce pointed out, "As screwups go... that's a big one."

"And I helped Maria Hill kidnap and brainwash criminals. And I left you guys high and dry when you needed me to fight Hydra," Vanee said miserably, "And I couldn't save Steve..."

"Uh... yeah," Bruce said as he nervously sipped his drink.

Janet glared at him for a moment before turning back to Vanee, who was feeling down on herself. Placing a warm hand on her shoulder, the older woman told her, "Steve chose his own path. What happened to him wasn't your fault, Va. Don't let it ruin your big day."

"Steve was my friend," Vanee said sadly, "He helped me come to terms with my past mistakes. He was like the father I never had."

"That was all an act. He was a Hydra agent this whole time, and he used your feelings for his own benefit."

"I know, but... what if I could've saved him? If I hadn't left Earth, I could've..."

"Va... don't torture yourself with this," Janet said with an almost maternal tone, "You weren't there when Steve helped Hydra take over. He showed his true colors that day. He was a monster. He killed innocent people as well as our friends. Trust me, there was nothing you could've done or said that would've turned him around."

Bruce chimed in, "He also brainwashed me into beating up our friends. So yeah... he was an absolute bastard."

"I know you guys are trying to make me feel better, but it's not working," Vanee said as she stirred her drink, "I just... I just miss him. No matter who he was I... I miss him."

Her two friends were silent for a moment and gave Vanee looks of pity.

Janet then said, "I'm sorry for your loss. But will you at least think about what you have gained?"

Janet pointed up to the restaurant's upper level with her eyes. Vanee followed her line of sight to find her fiancee sitting with their beloved daughter on her lap. Minn-Erva was sitting down with a bunch of teen heroes she was mentoring, the Champions she thinks they are called. Minnie had a look of pride in her face as she praised her kids' progress with Obee looking at them all with childlike wonder.

Vanee smiled at the sight. In fourteen hours, she will marry the love of her life with their daughter and friends watching them with joy. It's going to be a wonderful life, she thought.

Vanee felt warm inside again. While she has lost a friend today, Vanee will gain a loving wife tomorrow. She would've preferred having them both, but after all the hardship and misery she had to endure for the past few years, Vanee learned to stop herself every once in a while and appreciate what she's got.

"Already on it, Jan," Vanee hummed. She then spotted a familiar figure out the window on the corner of her eye. Knowing who it is, Vanee stood up and excused herself to her guests. "I need some air. I'll be back."

* * *

Vanee walked out of the restaurant and walked out to the side into the patches of bushes and greenery outside the sidewalk. She navigated through the prickly path until she saw Clint Barton, unmasked and in black civilian clothes, looking forlornly into the festive rehearsal dinner from the other side of the glass window.

"Clint," Vanee called out getting his attention, "The party's better on the other side of the window. Trust me."

"Uh, yeah...", Clint said as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, "I just figured that you wouldn't want me inside after... what I did this morning."

"And why would I want that?", Vanee said as she moved closer to him, "You're my friend, Clint. My teammate. I'll always embrace you with open arms. Nothing can ever change that."

"Thanks boss...", Clint murmured before looking at the ground somberly, "I thought about it for a long time. Killing Steve, I mean. After my family... all I ever thought about was taking my revenge on the Hydra bastards that took them away from me. But now that I finally have it, I... I just feel empty, you know? And then I felt like shit. More so than I've been in a long time. Steve was your friend, and we needed him alive. But I just had to..."

"I don't blame you for that, Clint," Vanee said putting a hand on his shoulder, "If Steve had my family killed, I probably would've made the same choice."

"I just never felt more lost. I already killed them. Nat and Steve. I don't know where to go now. I don't... I don't know what to do with my life anymore."

"You'll always have the team. The Avengers. And especially me," Vanee said mustering as much sincerity as she could from her heart, "After I sold out the Earth to the Kree, Steve told me that the Avengers can be a family that I can be a part of. While he was probably not being sincere, that fact remains no less true. I can feel it. So, I extend that same offer to you, Clint."

He smiled. "As sappy heart-to-heart speeches go... that wasn't bad. Thanks, Va."

"Don't mention it," Vanee said before prompting him, "Follow me back to the party?"

Clint nodded as he followed his team leader back to the front door of the restaurant. Vanee let her friend enter first, but before she could enter herself, a familiar voice called out.

"Don't!"

Vanee turned around to see Janet Van Dyne of all people all suited up in her original red and black suit. She squinted at Janet in confusion as she asked her, "What are you doing out here, Jan? Is there another crisis already?"

Janet seemed to ignore her as she said, "She's lying to you! None of this is real!"

"I don't understand," Vanee said as she furrowed her brow in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"You have to get out! Get out n-"

* * *

Vanee sat patiently in front of the mirror inside a dressing room as she let her adoptive daughter braid her white hair. She couldn't help but feel apprehensive about today. It was the day of the wedding, and the ceremony is only minutes away now. Vanee was excited, but she is also very nervous.

She had no doubt that the ceremony will go well. Vanee will walk down that aisle in her Voyager costume, and her breath would be taken away when she sees the love of her life walking towards her. She would kiss Minn-Erva eagerly on the lips so that they would be bound together forever. When that was done and both their eyes drenched with tears of joy as their loved ones cheered, Vanee would take this beautiful woman and their daughter to a beautiful summer home in a tropical island via teleportation. Once there, they would celebrate the rest of their lives together.

It's going to be a beautiful life. Vanee knew it.

So why does she have the sneaking suspicion that there was something completely wrong about this situation? Like something really bad is about to happen.

Her worried thoughts were interrupted when Obee walked up from behind her mother. With a wide and proud smile, Obee chirped, "I'm finished Mommy! How did I do?"

Vanee smiled at her little girl before she took a look at herself in the mirror. Her loose head of white hair is now tied into a long, single braid tied together like a ponytail. Vanee lifted up her braid as she tried to distract herself by examining her daughter's work.

While the braid had its proper shape this time with the right knots and an ending tail, the quality of the work was very amateurish with many loose ends and some misaligned knots. However, Vanee could tell Obee has been practicing this for some time now. She should be happy for her precious baby girl, but these dark thoughts refused to leave her.

Vanee forced a smile as she turned to her daughter and said, "It's... good. Very good work, honey. Well done."

Obee noticed the insincerity of her mother's face and frowned. "I didn't do that bad. Did I?"

Guilt washing over her face, Vanee turned from her chair and knelt down to her daughter with a reassuring smile. "No sweetie. I love it. I absolutely love it. It's just that... Mommy just has a lot of things on her mind right now. Nerves mostly."

"What do you mean?", Obee said with a confused wrinkle in her brow, "I thought today was your big day. I thought you'd be happy."

I am happy! It's just...", Vanee fumbled as she tried to find the right words, "I just feel that... I'm afraid that something real bad is about to happen. Like something isn't right. I can't explain it..."

Obee stood in silence for a moment before saying, "But you love Mama. Don't you?"

Vanee looked at her daughter in the eyes before saying honestly, "With all my heart."

"Then why are you scared?", Obee asked innocently.

"I...", Vanee searched within herself for an answer but then she looked deep into her baby girl's azure eyes. Suddenly, all of fears and insecurities began to melt away all and replaced by an overwhelming feeling of contentment. "I suppose I have nothing to be scared of. I'm sorry. It's an important day today, and I just want it to be perfect. I just love your Mama that much."

Obee smiled again. "It's okay, Mommy. I love her too! But... I think she likes you more."

"Nonsense!", Vanee shouted playfully as she rubbed her daughter's bald head. As Obee laughed with delight, her adoptive mother got something out of her pocket. It was a golden badge with a black crescent painted its center with a dot in between the points. Obee held the shiny object in her hands and marveled at it as Vanee explained, "I got this for your Mama for her birthday last week, but she insisted I give it to you. She wanted me to give this to you on your own birthday, but I figured you'd want something better than some badge then."

"But it's perfect!", Obee said before lunging at Vanee and embracing her waist, "Thanks Mommy! I love you."

Those last three words melted Vanee's old heart as she hugged her baby back. "I love you too, sweetheart."

The two held on to their loving hug for a moment before finally separating.

Vanee told her, "I need you to run along to Mama. Help her get ready, okay?"

"Yes ma'am!", Obee said saluting her like a soldier before running out of the room.

Once Obee left the room, Vanee stood up and hummed happily to herself as she walked back to the mirror. She remembered being very hesitant when she first adopted Obee. Back then, Vanee didn't know the first thing about raising a kid and was worried that she might do something wrong. It's not like she was excelling that well about everything else in her life. She only adopted Obee in order to get her out of a bad situation on her planet, but in the end, Vanee was glad that she did so.

Raising that little bundle of energy may have been a challenge over these past couple of years, but it was an experience that Vanee wouldn't trade for the world. That thought certainly brightened Vanee's face as she adjusted her bandana in front of the mirror.

"You have to get out!"

This sudden shout startled Vanee. She quickly got out a pair of scissors from the shelf before turning around and seeing Janet again in her red and black costume.

Vanee eyed her irritably as she put away the scissors. "Damn it, Jan! You scared the crap out of me. What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be with the other bridesmaids?"

"Listen to me, kid. This isn't real! None of it is!", Janet said frantically, "You have to come with me now before it's too late!"

"What has gotten into you? You were like this last night. I thought we were past this."

"I have no time to explain!", Janet said before extending her hand, "Come away with me now! Trust me, it's for your own good."

"Seriously?", Vanee said chucking. When she realized that her friend wasn't joking, Vanee said, "Jan, I'm not just gonna leave Minnie at the altar. It's my wedding! I can't just drop everything and..."

"Just think back and remember how you even got into this room. Can you do that for me?"

"I don't know what your aim is here, Jan, but I'll try if it means you'll back off this nonsense," Vanee said before thinking aloud, "How did I get here? Well, I went through that door obviously. I arrived at this church about an hour ago to get ready for the ceremony."

"And before that?"

"Before...", Vanee started to say before she squinted her eyes and began to think, "I was... I was talking to you outside the restaurant. Yesterday... I don't... remember how that conversation ended, actually. In fact... I don't remember coming home after the rehearsal dinner. All I remember is us talking and then I was here. How... how is this possible?"

"You are in a mind prison," Janet started to explain, "A simulation of another timeline."

"Simulation? Another timeline? I don't understand," Vanee said slightly frightened.

"Your mind is currently processing memories of a person from another timeline, presumably the 'you' of that world," Janet explained as simply as possible, "The entity that placed you here is currently repairing your body. For what reason, I don't know, but I have encountered creatures like it before. Their intentions are rarely benevolent."

"What are you talking about?"

"I think the entity creating this illusion is a psion. Think of it as a psychic ghost that feeds on emotions. I've never seen a psion this far into the Quantum Realm. They usually stay on the upper levels..."

"Quantum Realm? Ghosts? What?", Vanee said trying to wrap her mind around this insanity, "You're not making any sense here, Jan."

"I know, but we're running out of time here! I can only be here for so long. That... thing is trying to force me out of here," she spoke hurriedly, "Just take my hand. Let's go!"

Vanee looked down Janet's outstretched hand hesitantly. She should just disregard Janet's insane rambling and just continue on with the wedding. Vanee waited her whole life for this day, and she wasn't going to let some conspiracy theory stop her from making an honest woman out of the love of her life. This whole deal with ghosts, alternate timelines, and psychic illusions didn't make any sense either.

At the same time, however, what Janet is saying did have some wrinkle of truth. Vanee has had blocks on her memory since yesterday. This being an elaborate illusion would explain her strange behavior yesterday or why she had two different sets of childhood memories inside her head as well as explain away the missing memories from the rehearsal dinner. Given all the strange and fantastic things she had witnessed over the years as an Avenger, an illusion casted by a ghost wasn't that much stranger than say an armored sorcerer ruling an Eastern European kingdom or a planet eater that looks like a giant white guy with a purple tuning fork for a helmet.

But still, abandoning her beloved Minn-Erva doesn't seem like a risk worth taking. But if there is even a small possibility that all this was a trap...

Vanee spoke with hesitation wracking her voice, "I..."

* * *

Vanee stood in front of the altar with her best man, Clint Barton, along with their friends, Monica Rambeau and Wanda Maximoff, all of whom are in costume. Across from them stood Minn-Erva's krantt, the Grey Sakaaran non-gendered and combat oriented equivalent of bridesmaids. Among the three were Att-Lass, Sam Alexander, Kamala Khan, and Minn-Erva's cousin, Caiera. They were all in their uniforms but with the added feature of a traditional black skirt. Amusingly, the skirts were mini-skirt short for the males while the females had skirts of ankle-high length.

Vanee nursed a bad headache as Clint lightly tapped his team leader's shoulder and whispered, "You okay, boss?"

"Yeah. It's just...", Vanee started to say with slight delirium dripping in her voice, "I... can't quite remember what I was doing."

"Um, you're getting married remember?", Clint remarked, "The ceremony is about to start. Have you taken your meds yet, Va? You probably want to be clear-headed for this."

"My meds?", Vanee said until she noticed the bottle of pills in her hand, "Oh right. I, uh, forgot."

Vanee then quickly uncapped the bottle before shaking out a pair of blue pills. She swallowed them before putting the bottle back in her pocket. After a moment, Vanee let out a relieved sigh as her mind was calmed once again.

"Thanks, Clint."

He nodded. "Happy to help, boss."

It was then that the church band started playing their music, a rendition of Carrie Underwood's "Look At Me".

As the opening starts, Wanda exclaimed, "Oh, I love this song!"

The flower girls, a collection Minn-Erva's Kree and Sakaaran cousins led by Obee, skipped across the aisle as they adhered to Shadow People tradition by paving the bride's path with petals from a black Sakaaran rose. When the girls reached the end of the aisle and joined Minn-Erva's krantt, the singer began her tune.

_I would bet my life, like I bet my heart_   
_That you were the one, baby_   
_I've never been so sure of anything before_   
_You're driving my heart crazy_

_I can't hold out_   
_I can't hold back now_   
_Like I've done before_

_Darling look at me_   
_I've fallen like a fool for you_   
_Darling can't you see_   
_I'd do anything you want me to_   
_I tell myself I'm in too deep_   
_Then I fall a little farther_   
_Every time you look at me_

As the singer rested her voice and the band continued to play, the doors open from across the aisle to reveal Minn-Erva walking down in her red and black uniform and domino mask with Mari-Ell by her side in her old green and white army uniform. At that moment, Vanee felt her breath being taken away as she gazed into the eyes of the woman she loved, feeling the love and warmth from her eyes even from afar. As her love began her walk, a single question formed in the forefront of Vanee's mind as the singer resumed her song.

_How do you do that, babe?_   
_Make me feel like I'm the only girl alive for you_   
_I don't know what it is that makes me fall like this_   
_First time in your arms I knew_

_The way you held me_   
_I knew that this could be_   
_What I've been waiting to find_

_Darling look at me_   
_I've fallen like a fool for you_   
_Darling can't you see_   
_I'd do anything you want me to_   
_I tell myself I'm in too deep_   
_Then I fall a little farther_   
_Every time you look at me_

There was a brief pause in the lyrics as Minn-Erva took her place in front of Vanee. As the two held each other's hands, Vanee felt her heart melt as she thought, "I'm the luckiest woman alive! I know it..."

_Every time you look at me_

The song ends as Mari briefly stood next to her daughter and whispered into her ear, "I'm so happy for you, my little Voyager."

"Thanks Mom," Vanee answered back with a wide smile on her face.

Mari and the band quickly got to their places in the front row as the wedding officiate, a Grey Sakaaran Shadow Priest named Hiriom, addressed the crowd.

"Please be seated," Hiroim said as he waited for the assembled guests to sit down on their pews, "A good noon to you all. I am honored to be standing over the union of my most dearest cousin, Minn-Erva, and her one true love, Vanee-Gast. Though, you all may better know her by her mantle as the Voyager. While I may not know these two as much as you all have over these past few years, I know that these two women are meant for each other. They deserve to spend the rest of their lives in each other's arms not just because of their heroic deeds but also because the bonds within their very souls. Bonds of love and mutual respect. As if the gods made them for each other. How do I know this, you ask? For me, their bond is clear as day in the love in each other's eyes and from the looks of happiness from all of you for their love. In a human ceremony, this is the part where I ask if there is just cause that this union should not be held. But in Sakaar, we have a saying. 'Let's get this over with. I only came for the reception!'"

The crowd let a collective laugh as Hiroim continued, "Now for the important part."

He turned to Minn-Erva and asked, "Minn-Erva, daughter of Clan Kala, will you take the woman before you as your wife? To love and to cherish? Through both life's joys and sorrows for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Minn-Erva spoke softly without hesitation.

He then turned to Vanee and asked, "And do, Vanee-Gast daughter of Mari-Ell, take the woman before you as your wife? To love and to cherish? Through both life's joys and sorrows for as long as you both shall live?"

For Vanee, this wasn't even a question. She had been waiting to marry the love of her life for quite some time now. They were barred from being together by archaic laws. Drifted apart by time and differing allegiances. And were kept apart by romances that didn't lead to anything.

Vanee wasn't going to let anything stop her this time.

"I do."

"By the power granted to me by the ones who love you most, I declare you both binded together at the sight of the gods. And now for a human custom," Hiroim let a brief laugh, "You both may now kiss your bride!"

The crowd cheered as both Minn-Erva and Vanee moved in to share in the most important kiss of their lives.

Except...

Vanee was suddenly and violently yanked from her beloved's arms. She fell down on the floor on her knees as another terrible headache pulsed through her head. Wincing, Vanee looked around to see that the entire church was empty. All the guests were gone, their seats left vacant, and there was no one at the altar. Not even Minn-Erva.

And in her place was Janet Van Dyne in her old Wasp uniform.

Vanee glared at her as she clenched her teeth in rage. She stood up and shouted, "What did you do?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Janet lifted her hands up non-threateningly as she tried to explain as tactly as possible to the pissed off alien girl. "I simply dispelled the illusion. That psion blocked me out for a bit, but I'm back now."

"Dispel the...", Vanee mumbled perplexed before shouting again, "What the hell are you talking about?! Where the hell are our friends, Jan?! Where is my wife?!"

"None of that was real!", Janet raised her voice, "It was an illusion created to ensnare you! This entire scenario isn't real! We have to go now before..."

SMACK!

Janet was knocked down to her back when Vanee swiped the old heroine's cheek with her fist. Before she could gain a second wind, Vanee pinned Janet down by gripping her neck with her hands, choking her as the alien girl looked down on her with an unnatural haze over her blue, rage-filled eyes.

"You're lying to me! You're a liar!", Vanee shouted as a purple phantasm floated above her, "You just want to hurt me and Minn-Erva! Just like everyone else in my life! You're no better than the Supreme Intelligence! You want to take her away from me!"

"No... I'm... not! Kid... I...", Janet heaved as she struggled to find her breath.

"I'll kill you for ruining my wedding day! You bitch! I'll KILL you!", Vanee shouted in her madness.

"Gah... damn... didn't want... to do this!", Janet wheezed before a red pill materialized in her hand, "Sorry!"

With as much strength as she could muster, Janet jammed the pill into Vanee's mouth. The force of the shoved lodged the pill into the Kree girl's throat, forcing her to swallow on instinct. Almost immediately, Vanee felt a wave of nausea overcome her body.

She forced herself off Janet as Vanee began stumble across the floor, clutching her head as she felt a headache so strong that it felt like her skull was splitting in two.

"No... stop it...", Vanee said hazily as she felt her consciousness fade, "Don't... take me... away... from her. Minn-Erva... I..."

Vanee shed a single tear before collapsing into the floor.

And like that, everything faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess that's it.
> 
> Sorry, I just felt really out of it for the last few chapters. It's just all felt surreal, you know? I had a dream, where I've been writing an alternate Voyagerverse made up of weird adaptations of comic storylines. There were all these weird ships, families were getting killed off every other story, and I think I wrote that Green Arrow and Hawkeye started the Big Bang by shooting time traveling arrows into the beginning of time.
> 
> Man, I wish my actual stories were that awesomely ludicrous. But sadly we must make do with what we have.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I hope you all can see what I'm trying to do with this arc of the story.
> 
> Thanks for the read, and see you all next time.


End file.
